Gleam of Silver
by Mulleb
Summary: A peculiar merchant and his daughter stopped at the hidden village Konohagakure. Neither planned on hanging around, but a blond kid with fox ears caught the merchant's attention. May the Creator help the villagers of Konohagakure for this peculiar merchant will turn their world upside down. AU
1. Chapter 1

Enjoy the read!

* * *

Chapter One

The clopping of hooves resounded loudly off the dirt road. Large, wide trees flanking the road provided shade from the summer day's sun. Besides a lone wagon drawn by a bay Clydesdale with a brown mane the road was deserted. From a far no one would think much of the wagon. Its body and wheels were constructed from worn, battered wood. Bolts holding the wheels in place had rusted. Yet it moved without problem.

When one took a closer look, however, they would notice something strange. There was no opening into the wagon. It was as if someone had taken a large, rectangular box and placed it on wheels.

Stranger still were the two people riding on the wagon. Holding the reins, a lean, average sized man in his early twenties hummed a cheerful tune. His skin was a pasty white. Bright silver eyes filled with mirth surveyed the land. The right one viewed it through a silver rimmed monocle. A stained red top hat sat on top of neatly combed dirty white hair. Despite the heat he wore a red tailed jacket on top of a white shirt accompanied by red trousers. Upon his back was a black cane with one of its tips colored solid white.

Beside him sat a caramel skinned girl of about six years. Orange eyes stared blankly out into space, her chin resting on a fist. Mint green hair framed her face, stopping at the shoulder. A loose white shirt covered her chest while exposing her belly. White shorts and a bit of mesh pants covered her legs while a pair of sandals protected her feet.

Huffing in annoyance, the vertette took a lock of her hair and twisted it around two fingers. "How much further is the village?" she asked of nobody.

A kind smile came easily to the man's face. "You were told not more than ten minutes ago," the man said in an accent that could not be pinpointed, "and your question was answered then. Figure it out for yourself." Puffing her cheeks, the vertette muttered to herself. "Well," said the man as he looked to his younger companion, "what is it?"

Before the vertette replied her eyes focused on something in the distance. Breaking the tree line was a large stone wall. "In about five minutes if we can get Rubric's lazy ass moving," exclaimed the vertette. A resounding smack echoed. Holding the back of her head, she squinted her eyes in pain.

Placing the cane back in place, Silver said, "Those words are not to be tossed about lightly."

The vertette glared as she said, "Come on Rubric, let's get moving." The Clydesdale snorted. The vertette frowned. Then a smug smile formed. "If you get moving," she said in an innocent voice, "I'll get Silver to buy you oranges."

Lifting his head, the Clydesdale stared intently at the wall's gate. "Who said…" was all Silver got out when Rubric bolted into a full out gallop. He had to grab his hat to keep it from flying off.

The large green gates to the village were wide open. The leaf insignia and two kanji declared the village name as Konohagakure. Just within the gate was a guardhouse. Behind a large windowless gap two shinobi wearing the uniforms of the leaf- flak jacket above a black shirt with black jeans and sandals- sat. One wearing a bandana headband was reading an orange book while the other, who had a bandage crossing his face, stared blankly into space.

The thundering of hooves drew their attention. Putting his book down, the bandana shinobi stuck his head out the window. Just as his company leaned out to look a large object darted by them. "Slow!" shouted the blur. "Slow down!"

Dust engulfed the shinobi. The two coughed as the dust settled. "What was that?" said the bandaged shinobi.

"Don't know but it's heading for the village," said his company.

Jumping through the window, the shinobi pumped charka to their legs and darted after the blur.

"Slow down Rubric," Silver shouted as he yanked on the reins. "We're in the village." Standing up, the vertette balanced herself on one leg as the wagon hit bumps in the road. It took a minute and some shaken-up bystanders diving for cover, but the Clydesdale finally slowed to a stop. Silver sighed as one hand rubbed his temple. "Honestly," said the man, "you should know better than that." Rubric looked to Silver with an expecting look. Sighing, he said, "First the guards and then the oranges."

At that moment the two shinobi landed on top of the wagon. Coming out of a crouch, one said, "Excuse me sir, but you must be checked before entering the village."

"I know," said Silver as he turned around on his butt, a welcoming smile on his face. Jabbing a finger at his company, Silver said, "Blame the little miss right here." The vertette stuck out her tongue while crossing her arms.

Getting to his feet, Silver reached into his pockets. The shinobi tensed but quickly relaxed upon seeing a thin leather case. Handing it to the bandaged shinobi, Silver said, "I'm a traveling merchant passing by. Heard that Konohagakure had plenty to offer. For a village hidden in leafs it was easy to get here."

The bandaged shinobi stared at the passport. Everything was in order, but he had never heard of the nation that issued it nor had he seen the strange creature used as a background. "Sir," he begin.

"I know," said Silver with a sigh, "the Confederacy is a real nation it's just far away. And the creature in the background is a chimera. It's a symbol of my people."

After a brief moment the shinobi nodded. Handing the passport back, the shinobi said, "Welcome to Konohagakure. Follow the laws and you'll be just fine." With that said the two shinobi bolted back to their post.

Walking around the wagon, the vertette searched the ground. "Hey," said the girl, "where did Hoshi go?"

Before Silver could answer something yipped at him. Down by the merchant's feet was a black fox with splashes of white across its coat. Her ruffled fur was dirty and her dark brown eye scolded him. "Fall off the wagon?" said Silver with a sheepish grin. The fox nodded. Jabbing a finger at the vertette, he said, "Blame her, not me."

Hoshi walked past Silver and, using the back wheel as step stool, Silver leaped back on the wagon. "Time to begin the show."

As the man took his seat the girl plopped down beside him. "Do we have to?" she asked.

"Yes Fu," said the man with an encouraging smile. "How else can we get people's attention?" Fu opened her mouth to retort, but closed it. It was fruitless to do so. Taking in a deep breath, Silver sang out at the top of his lungs, "Pretty girl of the sea tell who I must be." The sudden outburst gained him plenty of curious and odd looks alike. As he sang Silver got the Clydesdale moving forward. Hoshi strolled along beside the wagon at a brisk pace.

Dirt streets lead through a city of modern and traditional buildings. Civilians and off-duty shinobi glanced toward the wagon as they passed. "Must I become a grand sailor," sang Silver, "or a prince of a mighty castle? How about a scholar with all knowledge of the world?"

Reluctantly, Fu joined in. "Oh silly man," she sung, her voice neither terrible nor great, "that's not how a maiden's heart works…" With voices combined the duet had an interesting tune to it. It certainly drew the attention the man wanted. The two wandered the streets for a little while, drawing in a sizable crowd of curious children and attentive adults. Suddenly, the wagon wondered into a dense crowd of people. Silver's singing settled to a dull hum. With a nod of his head he brought the wagon to a stop.

"Finally," said Fu. Along with the man the vertette jumped off the wagon. The man grabbed his cane while walking over to a rear wagon wheel. He whacked the cane against the wheel. The first time silenced the crowd. The second drew people's attention. The third and final time brought on a strange sight.

A warm blue glow emitted from the wagon. Wood groaned as it stretched outward and upward. Wheels shrink to allow the bottom edge of the newly formed window that took up a wall to be at arm level. A door formed on the southern wall with two overlapping coins carved into it.

Leaping into the air, Silver landed on top of the wagon. He slammed the cane's end onto the roof and placed all his weight on it. "Good afternoon people of Konohagakure," Silver exclaimed with a wide, toothy smile plastered on his face. "Take a look within my store."

The most curious clamored around the window. Beyond it were things that none of them had seen before. Placed upon shelves and hanging from hooks with no real order were exotic items. On one shelf sat a grinning skull painted in variant colors. A single, large wooden eye stared back at them. Another shelf held a necklace of a golden cross with a loop decorated with rubies and sapphire. Beside it sat a couple of old looking scrolls and books. Silk clothing, hats, pottery, weapons, herbs, and much more resided on those shelves.

Leaning dangerously over the wagon's edge, the man said, "Do any of you see something of interest? Something that you would buy?" A collect yes went through the crowd. "Then gain way," shouted Silver. It was the only warning he gave as he hopped off the roof. His foot nearly kicked a startled shinobi's head. As soon as he landed the Silver sprang through the window.

He misjudged the jump and slammed into the back wall. Leaning against the wagon, Fu gave a shake of her head. At her feet sat the fox, her attention focused on the crowd. Crumpling to the floor, the man shouted, "I'm okay. Just gave me a moment to change." From his hidden position one hand grabbed an apron and a flat brimmed straw hat. The other hand placed his jacket and top hat on the hook.

After a few seconds Silver reappeared with his new wares on. With a wide smile he said, "Now who will be my…"

"Hold on," shouted a feminine voice. Pushing to the front of the crowd was a young woman in questionable clothing. Below an open trench coat was full body mesh shirt, leaving nothing about her bosom to the imagination. A mini-skirt covered her upper legs while shin guards protect her shins.

From the spiky violet hair pulled back into a ponytail to her sandals Silver looked the woman over. He took note of the leaf headband hidden under her bangs. "Good evening miss," said the man. "How can I help you?"

"By moving your ass out of the road and to the Hokage's office," said the woman bluntly. "Any merchant who wants to sell items must register first with them. You're also congesting the road."

Leaning out of the window, the merchant looked to his right and then his left. "Hey Fu," said the man, "is the road becoming blocked up."

"Nope," said Fu.

"Then there is nothing to worry about," said the merchant as he turned his back on the kunoichi.

A tick mark formed on the kunoichi's forehead. "Hey," she exclaimed while placing a hand on her hip. "I just told you to pack up."

"Leaf kunoichi," said the merchant as he searched the shelves. "Veteran based on how she holds herself." This statement confused the kunoichi. "Hard exterior and unpolished in way of speech."

Did he just insult me? Thought the kunoichi.

"Do you like knives Miss…" started the merchant.

"Anko," said the kunoichi, "and of course I like knives. Now stop…" Before she could finish the merchant spun around and flung a rolled up piece of cloth across the counter. As it unrolled it revealed a variety of small blades.

"These Miss Anko," said the merchant as his hand swiped over them, "are some of the finest specimens of their kind." His hands jabbed at each knife as he spoke. "Here we've got your typical kunai with wind symbols drawn upon it. Over here we've got a nice example of a balisong…"

Anko tried to interrupt, but found herself looking over the knives. One in particular caught her attention. "That's neat," she said as he pointed to a knife. The handle was carved from oak. The serrated blade of polished bone was decorated by black triangles. Two small black feathers hung from the handle by leather strings decorated with colorful beads.

Snatching up the knife, the merchant said, "This is a bone knife is from a tribe that lives in a faraway place. Due to religious reasons they renounced the use of metal for bone. But don't be fooled." Flicking his waist downward, a thick, square block of wood slid out of his sleeve. He pinned it down and with one swipe of the knife cut it in two. "With m… I mean charka this tribe hardens bone to the point of being like steel."

The merchant let go of the severed wood. Staring intently at the knife, Anko pressed her lips together. Her light brown eyes stared straight into Silver's. "How much for it?" she asked.

"4704 yen," said the merchant.

"4100," replied Anko.

Back and forth the numbers flew. Finally, the merchant slammed the point of the bone knife into the wood block's corner. Based on the numerous small holes it wasn't the first time. "4490 and that's my final offer. Take it or go half way around the world to find another."

Anko's hand went into her pocket and she pulled out a wad of cash. As they exchanged products, the kunoichi said, "You still have to go get registered."

"Tomorrow I will," said the merchant with a smile.

Pocketing the knife, Anko said, "Nice doing business with you…"

"Did I forget to mention my name?" said the merchant with a shake of his head. "How rude of me." Taking off his hat, he brought his arm to his stomach and bowed as deeply as his space would allow. "Silver Dollar the Third," he exclaimed, "ready to serve the pretty lady."

A small frown formed on Anko's face. "Silver," said the kunoichi, "odd name." With that said she walked off.

Shaking his head, Silver straightened as he put his hat back on his head. "Next customer please," said the merchant, "and Fu are you still there?"

Sighing, the vertette said, "Your watch dog is doing her job." At the word dog the fox gave the girl a mean glare.

"Good. Rubric needs to be fed and watered. After that we need to find a hotel and Rubric needs his orange. Come get some money and get to work." Without argument Fu did as told.

Throughout the day the flow of customers was steady. Many purchased items while others traded or sold interesting items to the merchant. After doing her chores Fu strolled through the streets. At the top of her young lungs she announced the merchant's presence to the world. By the setting of the sun she had yelled herself hoarse. Lying upon the counter the fox watched the coming and going of people, her tail swaying and her ears twitching. Except for an odd incident where a villager tried to kill the Hoshi- he yelled something about a demon before being clubbed by Silver's cane- the day was uneventful.

When the roof was bathed in orange light the merchant proclaimed, "Alright folks. The sun is setting so it's time to close down." Those who remained left with mutters.

With her head just barely over the counter Fu waved at the retreating people. "Bye," she shouted, "and thank you for your business."

"That went well," said Silver as he bent down. Below the counter were several crates. The middle lid was wide open to reveal a safe filled with cash. Tucking the paper money into it, Silver closed the lid as he withdraw his hand. "You did well today Fu."

Smiling while rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Thanks Father."

"Remember where the hotel is?"

"Of course." Through the door the two left the wagon.

"You're going want to move Hoshi," said Silver as he took out his cane. Hoshi jumped off the counter as Silver whacked the wheel. The blue glow returned and the wagon shrank back to its original size. "So there's a stable near the hotel?"

"Yes Father," said Fu as she climbed onto the wagon.

Slipping off his shoes, Silver surveyed their room. It was small with a couple of beds and a table accompanied by a chair. Hoshi sat on the table to stare out a window. Rushing out of the bathroom, Fu jumped onto the bed and started hopping on it. "A real bed!" she exclaimed.

Chuckling, Silver said, "Be careful not to break it. Would you feel alright if I leave you alone this evening?"

Fu suddenly stopped, a wry expression on her face. Putting on a kind smile, Silver said, "We're safe within this village my dear. And you won't be alone. Hoshi will keep you company." At the mention of her name the fox turned around. She gazed at Fu warmly.

Sitting down, Fu said, "Where you going?"

"I'm going to check out the town," said Silver, "and maybe go kick up a party or two."

"What about my lessons?" asked Fu.

"A day off won't do any harm," said Silver with a shrug. "Tomorrow morning we'll ask someone about training grounds. There's got to be secluded place somewhere."

Turning to leave, Silver said, "Stay within the room. Hoshi, if you want to do more this evening just make sure the windows and doors are covered and locked."

* * *

Despite being called a village Konohagakure was a good size city. One would expect it to have people out and about during the night hours. To some extent that was true. Most of those people, however, looked to be wandering from one bar to another. Not that the merchant didn't like a good drink, but these people smelled strongly of alcohol. Beyond that Silver could hardly find anything of interest. And for a city with electricity there was a surprising lack of street lights.

Thankfully a full moon and lights from indoors provided enough to see. Under his breath the merchant grumbled, "Where are the gambling halls? There's a movie theater, but closed at the moment. A few restaurants I might take Fu to, but I'm not hungry."

Looking up, he spotted the four faces curved into a mountain just beyond the edge of the village. A bit hard not too notice when they appeared to be staring down upon him. "That looks interesting. Maybe Fu would like…"

Something hit him in the side. With an uff the merchant fell to the ground. His hat and monocle fell from their places. Due to a string that led to a pocket in his jacket the monocle hung over his stomach. Looking down at his stomach, Silver spotted a full head of blonde spikey hair with two similar colored dog-like ears sticking out. Though half of it was a blur. The owner of the ears looked up. Slit pupils surrounded by a bright sky blue stared at the merchant. Two sets of three whisker marks scared the cheeks of the boy who was no more than seven.

Upon looking at the boy's body Silver knew something was wrong with him. A tattered white shirt hung off of an unhealthy scrawny frame. A belt kept his weathered pants from falling off. His feet were bare and like his hands they had claws instead of nails.

Silver opened his mouth, but the blond shouted, "I'm sorry!" He scrambled to his feet and ran off.

"Wait," said Silver as he stood, his hand automatically placing the monocle back in place. The blond had disappeared however.

Not long after, Silver heard the sound of feet rushing his way. Looking in that direction he saw a mob of people charging forward. A few of them were shinobi, but most were civilians armed with large gardening tools or clubs. Angry muttering ran through the crowd. A person Silver assumed to be the leader of the mob stepped forward. "Where did he go?" said the shinobi. His voice was charged with wrath.

The merchant stared for a moment. "Who?" he said as dumbly as possible.

"The… the boy," the shinobi choked out.

Putting on a thoughtful expression, Silver said, "Did he had blond hair?"

"Yes," replied the shinobi, his irk all too clear.

Bringing his hand down, Silver said, "About this high and wearing tattered clothing."

"Yes."

With an indifferent shrug, Silver said, "Never seen him."

The contempt coming off the mob would have drowned an elephant. "Hey guys," shouted a shinobi, "the boy went this way."

Silver was pushed roughly to the side and the mob stampeded by him. Keeping his balance, the merchant watched them run off. Once they were out of sight the merchant walked over to his hat. Thankfully it was still intact. Picking it up, he dusted it off. A giddy, almost insane, smile took over his face. As he placed his hat onto his head a strange gleam flashed in his eyes, as if two silver coins were being flipped.

"Well," said the merchant, "this could be fun." With that said he flickered out of existence.

* * *

Heavy breaths fall from the blonde's child lips. His heart banged against his chest, echoing in his ears. It was nearly loud enough to block out the noise of the mob. He wasn't sure how he had got into this situation. He was heading home for the night from a day of training. Some drunk man came out of a bar and he accidentally knocked into him. The drunk shouted something about a demon trying to kill him. This wasn't surprising for a lot of people called him a demon for some reason. Yet the formation of the small army of villagers and shinobi forming out of nowhere caught him off guard.

**Calm down**, said a soothing, feminine voice, **if you lose focus you might get yourself in a corner. **

"I know that," said the blond. He wasn't yelling but he was loud. He moved to the right.

**That way led to a dead end.**

The boy quickly corrected himself and ran to his left. His right ear swirled around. With a yelp he dived to the ground. A kunai knife soared over his head. As soon as he hit the ground the blond got to his feet. He gasped as a leg smashed into his gut. "Too slow," said the shinobi, a terrifying grin on his face.

**Naruto! **Exclaimed the voice. The blond slammed into a wall, his single tail squashed slightly. Just as he fell to the ground a hand grabbed him roughly by the tail. Naruto shrieked as he was tossed to the side. He skidded across the ground, stopping after a few yards. Sitting up, Naruto wrapped his tail around him. The blonde fur was crushed, but nothing felt wrong. Yet he wished the white tip didn't look like a mashed brush.

**We're surrounded!** Exclaimed the voice.

Sitting in the middle of an intersection, Naruto saw that three directions were blocked off by villagers. The fourth was blockaded by a small group of shinobi. "We've got you now demon," shouted a person from the crowd. Naruto ducked as a good sized rock was thrown at his head.

Hands over his head, the blond whispered, "Please, just leave me alone." His plea fell on deaf ears.

"What are we waiting for?" asked an impatient shinobi.

"Are you stupid," snapped another. "That boy is the Fox. If we're not careful he might kill us all."

"Then let's incapacitate him," said the leader.

Bringing his hands up, the lead shinobi focused on Naruto. His hands rapidly formed hand signs, almost appearing as a blur. He drew back as he took a deep breath of air. **Naruto,** said the voice, **that shinobi is doing a jutsu. **

Fire Style, the lead shinobi proclaimed in his head, fire ball jutsu. He blew out of his mouth and a stream of fire hurled toward Naruto. Naruto scrambled to his feet, but he knew he had no time to get away.

Closing his eyes, he waited for the pain. It came, but not in the form he expected. His shirt collar jerked backward and upward. Naruto squeaked as his eyes flew open. They grew as wide as platters as the fireball justu trailed behind him. Yet it never caught up. High into the air he went while being choked. A roof appeared underneath and he landed hard on his tailbone. "Hmm," grunted the blond.

"Sorry about that. Didn't mean no harm."

Naruto looked up at his savior. "Hey," he said, "you're the funny dressed man I crashed into earlier.

Silver smiled at the boy. I'm not dressed funny, the merchant thought in annoyance. In a kinder voice, the merchant said, "You still need to apologize for that."

"Hey you," shouted a person from the mob which was congealing around the two story building. "Give back that kid."

Silver's smile shrunk a little as he looked down. Putting his hands in his pockets, the merchant said, "Pardon me for interrupting. I know little of the village laws and customs. Yet nearly everywhere I go the assaulting of children is consider horrendous."

"You're doing yourself a disservice outsider," shouted a shinobi. "That boy must be dealt with. We must finish what the Fourth started." A cheer ran through the crowd.

Silver rose an eyebrow. "Whoever this Fourth is," said the merchant in a strangely cheery tone, "if he supports this activity may his soul rot in hell."

While he spoke Naruto stared down at the crowd. From behind he heard the faintest of steps. "Behind you," the boy shouted as he twirled around.

A kunai dug into the merchant's shoulder. "How dare you insult the Fourth Hokage," said the shinobi through gritted teeth. Silver's smile never faded as he looked to the man. Not a hint of pain showed on his body. Before the shinobi could puzzle this out a fist slammed into his cheek.

The shinobi flew through the air and slammed into an exhaust pipe. Sliding down it, upon hitting the ground he looked up to see the merchant standing over him, smiling as if nothing had happened. As far the shinobi could tell his attack had done little harm. "How rude," said Silver, "I know you're a ninja, but to attack a man who meant no harm?"

Footsteps landed lightly on the roof. Scrambling to his feet, Naruto ran behind the merchant and grabbed him by the jacket. Silver looked around him to see that three other shinobi had joined in. The one he had punched staggered to his feet.

"Hand us the boy," said the shinobi, "and you can go in peace."

"Hmm," said Silver as a hand cupped his chin. Looking up to the stary sky, he hummed a joyful tune. With a shrug of his shoulder the merchant said, "How about this? You four leave before a trashing takes place."

The shinobi smiled as they looked to each other. "That I would like to see," said one of them.

Sighing, the merchant grabbed his hat. "Hey kiddie," said the merchant. Naruto poked his head around the merchant. "What's your name?"

"Naruto," said the boy in a hushed voice.

"Naruto," said the merchant, "you're going to need to let go of me. Stay in place, but make sure these idiots don't get you." Nodding, the child did as he was told. The smile became giddy as the merchant lifted his hat. "Now than," he said, "let's get started."

One step. To the shinobi it looked as if Silver took one step forward. Their eyes widened when Silver appeared in front of a shinobi. Before the shinobi could react the merchant slammed his forehead into the shinobi's. The shinobi stumbled back and before he could recover a fist buried into his stomach.

As he crumpled to the ground the shinobi's allies jumped toward the boy. Just as they got on top of him two of them felt a strong grip on their collars. What the… was the thought that went through their head. With one good heave Silver pulled the shinobi in front of him. Naruto ducked as Silver collided his captives into each other. The merchant let go and the three crashed to the ground. They struggled to get up, but found themselves tangled together.

Suddenly, a foot slammed down on one's back, pinning them all to the ground. "That was too easy," said the merchant in a bored tone, his smile never waning.

How, thought a pinned shinobi, did he move so fast? Teleportation wouldn't allow him such precision and nobody can move at such speed.

From his sleeve Silver flicked out a curved knife and twirled around. It collided with a kunai. Silver held it in place while staring down a shinobi with blood streaking his forehead. Silver's smile matched a snarl. In one swift motion Silver brought his fist into the shinobi's stomach. With a grunt the shinobi fell to her knees before collapsing to the ground.

"Twisted morals and weak in general," said Silver as he tucked the knife back up his sleeve. "How are you people shinobi?" With a shake of his head, Silver shouted, "You alright Naruto."

Nodding his head, the boy stood up from his crouch. "Those guys were chuunin," said Naruto with a bit of awe. He exclaimed while thrusting a fist into the air, "That was awesome!"

Silver's smile grew bigger at the comment. "Hey Naruto," said the merchant, "Sit on these idiots for a few seconds." As Silver lifted his leg Naruto planted himself on the shinobi pile. After dragging all of the shinobi together Silver took off his hat. He reached inside and pulled out a coil of rope.

"Where did that came from?" asked Naruto.

"My wagon," said Silver. "Get off the idiots and help me tie them up." It took some maneuvering, but they managed to get the shinobi into a tight circle. Silver used the rope to bind them together. Once done he looked the roof over. Spotting a loose board, a grin formed on Silver's face. "How Naruto, how would you like to do some face painting?"

Down on the ground the civilians waited for their shinobi to return. "What's taking them so long?" muttered a woman. Suddenly something was thrown off the building and fell halfway before jerking to a stop. Dangling by the rope the four shinobi looked as if a paint bomb had exploded in their faces. All of them had facial hair drawn on them. Attached to the rope was a sign that proclaimed the four shinobi to be child molesters in need of a spanking.

Silver chuckled while Naruto gave a hearty laugh. "Not bad Mr. Silver," said Naruto as he calmed down.

"Thanks," said Silver, "now why don't we return to my home for the moment."

"But I need to get home," said Naruto.

"Not like that you're not," proclaimed the merchant. Getting to his knees, he said, "Climb onto my back. I'll get us there in no time." Seeing no reason to protest Naruto did as told. Once the blond was secured Silver darted off.

* * *

"For the last time," exclaimed the owner of the hotel, "that demon isn't allow in my inn." A stern smile occupied the merchant's face. Naruto stood to the side, looking at the floor with keen interest.

"And I said already," stated the merchant, "I am more than willing to pay for his stay." Before the inn keeper protested again Silver dug several gold coins out of his pocket. He shoved them into the innkeeper's hand. The innkeeper looked to the coins and the sharp words died on his tongue. A conflicted look came over his face. With a huff he shoved the coins into his pocket.

"He's your responsibility," the innkeeper said before walking off.

Shaking his head, Silver headed off to his room with Naruto close behind. At his door the merchant stopped and knocked. "Fu, Hoshi," he said with a small smile, "you'd better be decent, because we've got a guest." Upon entering the room Silver found Fu and Hoshi sitting on the bed. Cards were spread before them while the rest of the deck sat in the middle.

Eyes gleaming with interest Fu leaned to the right in an attempt to see the guest. She didn't have to wait long for the merchant stepped into the room. Hesitatingly, Naruto followed. "It's a fox boy!" exclaimed Fu. Jumping off the bed, she rushed over to the blond.

A bright smile spread across the blonde's face. He opened his mouth, but a hand grabbed him by the wrist. "Come now Naruto," said Silver as he dragged him into the bathroom. "First a bath and then we'll get you clothing."

Naruto tried to protest, but Silver was already tugging the boy's shirt off. The merchant nearly dropped it upon seeing Naruto's chest. Skin stuck to the rib cage, clearly outlining the bone. "Cool," said Fu as she poked one of the bones. Naruto pulled back from the touch with a yelp. With a shake of his head Silver yanked the shirt off.

"When's the last time you ate?" asked the merchant.

"A couple of days ago," said Naruto.

Shaking his head, the merchant said, "Undress and jump into the bathtub. Turn off the water when it's filled. Fu, make sure he takes a bath." Silver darted out of the room.

"You heard Father," said Fu crossing her arms, "take off the pants." Sighing, Naruto did as he was told. He tossed his clothes into a pile before climbing into the bath. Taking a seat on the toilet, Fu observed the blond as he bathed, Hoshi laying upon the floor nearby. "So fox boy," said Fu. Naruto cringed slightly at the words yet they content no hatred. "You're a local around here?"

"Yeap," said Naruto as he poured water over his head, "born and raised."

"So you know all the cool places to hang out?"

A grin crossed the blond face. "Sure do." Lifting a hand, Naruto counted off the places as he said, "There's Ichiraku Ramen, the top of the Hokage Monument, the park…"

"Would you like to play some time?" That stopped Naruto in mid-sentence. He stared at Fu intently. Frowning, Fu looked to herself. "Stop staring at me fox boy."

"It's Naruto," the boy yelled.

Snorting, the vertette said, "I heard Father say that Whiskers."

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "What did you call me?" he said.

Smiling, Fu said, "Whiskers." She yelped as a spray of warm water hit her.

"Don't call me that!" shouted Naruto.

"Whiskers, Whiskers, Whiskers!" Fu sang out. More water was splashed at her. Jumping off the toilet, Fu dashed over to the bath and leapt at Naruto. She tackled the blond and they went down with a splash. The two tossed and turned in the bath, sending sprays of water everywhere. Hoshi took cover under the counter to avoid the onslaught.

When Silver entered the room it was thoroughly drenched, the children wrestling in a bath tub that was nearly empty. After placing the clothes in hand on a dry spot, the merchant walked over the tub. Reaching down he grabbed Fu by the back of her shirt and lifted her up. "Hey," she shouted as she waved her hands. Upon seeing who it was the fight left her.

The merchant looked at her and then at Naruto who laid on the bath tub floor. A chuckle escaped him before he set the soaked girl down. "Grab a towel both of you," ordered the merchant. Fu and Naruto looked dejected, but the moment Silver turned his back the two glared at one another.

Once the children wrapped themselves in the towels that had miraculously stayed dry they joined Silver in the main room. "He/She started it!" proclaimed the children as they each pointed an accusing finger at the other.

"I don't care who did what," said Silver, "as far as I can tell you were both going at it in the tub. Why is the question?"

"He splashed water on me," declared Fu.

"You called me Whiskers," said Naruto.

"So both parties are at fault," said Silver with a shrug. The glares he received could have baked an egg. "Both of you will apologize."

Almost grudgingly, Fu said to the floor, "Sorry Naruto."

Silence reigned for a second. Fu lifted her head and stared at the blond. An expression of disbelief sat on his face. "I'm sorry as well," he finally said.

"Now that's settled," said Silver with a clap of his hands. "I've got something for you Naruto." Picking up the clothing beside him, the merchant held it out to the blond. The blond stared at the clothing in confusion. The clothes were nothing special. Just a plain orange shirt accompanied by brown shorts, underwear, socks, and pair of black shoes. "Plan on catching a cold?" asked Silver. Naruto shook his head. "Then take it."

A grin crossed the blonde's face as he shouted, "Thank you, Mr. Silver."

Yanking the clothes out of the merchant's hand, Naruto darted to the other side of the room. Facing away from his companions, Naruto dropped his towel. As he dressed Fu watched the blond tail sway back and forth. For some strange reason she felt a strong need to pull on it.

Once dressed Naruto stared down at himself. "Thank you," he repeated, but much quieter this time.

"Don't thank me yet," said Silver, "we still need to discuss pay." Naruto tilt his head to the side as a questioning look come over his face. Smiling, Silver said, "If we happen to meet again I expect you to take me and my girl here on a tour of this village."

The smile returned to the blonde's face with full force. "Can do," said the blonde.

"So would you be staying with us tonight?" asked the merchant.

Shaking his head, Naruto said, "I've got an apartment to return to. And don't worry. I can get there without trouble." From the bathroom Naruto retrieve his old clothing, but the merchant insist that he left them behind. No one should be wearing them. "See you guys later," the boy exclaimed as he exited through the door.

**Those two were nice, **said the voice.** I hope we see more of them. **

Naruto nodded in agreement.

* * *

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

I see that at least a few people found the story interesting enough to follow. If anyone afraid that I'll drop it let me say that I already have more chapters written down. The wait time is due to my editor. He's good at cleaning up the story of my mistakes, but he's a busy man. Updates will come whenever he can finish revising.

So with that said enjoy the read.

* * *

Chapter Two

Naruto's apartment was not located in the nicest of places. The old complex had far too many boards patching gaping holes. Prostitute activity attracted customers in the streets. Neighboring buildings had seen better days. Yet the blond boy had no choice in the manner. The tenant of the complex was the only person he could find who would let him rent a room. Not like a demon could damage a criminal den's reputation.

To keep away from the worst of what the area had to offer the blond lived on the top floor. Outside the apartment there was nothing attractive about it. Inside it was plain with trash thrown everywhere. The main living area combined with the kitchen and dining room. There was also a bedroom with a bathroom across from it. There were few luxuries, but Naruto had what he needed.

Scrounging through the fridge, the boy grabbed himself a jug of milk. "Ramen, ramen," he sang out loud as he brought the carton to the table. "Going to eat some ramen." From the cabinets he took out a carton of instant ramen. The teapot on top of the stove shrilled as steam shot out of it. Grabbing the teapot, Naruto took the items over to the table. He poured the steaming water into the ramen and wait impatiently for the ramen to soak. As he waited he drank directly from the milk carton to quench his thirst.

Chopsticks poised and ready, Naruto reached to remove the plastic lid when his ears twitched. Outside his doorway someone was walking down the opened corridor. Naruto got to his feet and darted toward the door. Placing his ear against the door, he listened to the steps. When they were close he sniffed the air. A strange aroma of snakes and dango entered his nose.

Ripping the door open, he darted out in the open and shouted, "Hey Anko! You're back."

Carrying a bag of groceries over her shoulder, the kunoichi smiled at the boy. "Hey short stuff, mind if I join you for dinner?" Upon seeing what was on the table Anko stared at the boy. "Seriously," she said in a deadpanned tone. "I'm gone hardly a week and you're eating ramen again. Where the vegetables and fruits?"

Chuckling nervously, Naruto said, "I may have accidentally tossed them out."

Walking over to the table, Anko grabbed the ramen and strolled over to the nearest window.

Panic widened Naruto's eyes. "Wait," he cried, "don't!"

Opening the window, the kunichi tossed the ramen out. Tears swelled up in the blonde's eyes as the heavenly scent of ramen disappeared. "If you keep eating nothing but ramen," said Anko, "you're going stay short and scrawny."

"Like microwave food is any better," said Naruto.

Snorting, Anko took a frozen box meal from the bag. "I just finished reporting my last mission. Stop complaining and tell me how your week has been going."

Naruto took a seat at the table as a smile crossed his face. "It been well for the most part," said the blond. "Old man and I spent some time talking. I got a lot of training done." Squirming in place, "I can't wait to join the Academy."

Nodding, the kunoichi chucked the meal into the oven to let it cook. She leaned on the oven as she commented, "Maybe you'll make a friend there. I see that you got new clothes. Used your pension from the Hokage for that?" Naruto's smile lessened slightly.

"No, I got chased by a group of villagers again."

Anko's fingernails dug into metal. A sadistic grin dominating her face. "Who are the hapless fools this time?" she asked.

"Don't know," said Naruto with a shrug, "a funny man saved me before they did much harm.

"Funny man?" inquired Anko.

"Yeah," said Naruto as the smile returned with full force. "Mr. Silver wore this tall hat with this odd suit. He was nice and gave me these new clothes. His daughter was a little mean, but not too bad."

"Really," said Anko with a thoughtful expression. Was that the same merchant I met earlier? thought the kunoichi.

"The food's ready," noted Naruto. With a nod of her head Anko retrieved their meals and brought them to the table. Throughout the meal Naruto interrogated his elder about her mission. Turned out to be nothing more than a simple retrieval of a wealthy man from bandits. Anko sounded a bit sad that the enemy didn't put up much of a fight.

Once finished with her meal Anko stood up. "Well," she said, "I have to report to the interrogation wing tomorrow. The boss wants me to crack a tough shell."

"Aw," said Naruto, "but what about my training?"

"Just keep working on your taijustu," said Anko with a wave of her hand. "Once the academy teaches you about controlling charka we'll see about a justu or two." With that said Anko left an annoyed Naruto muttering at his tray.

* * *

Taking in a deep breath of air, Silver let out a satisfied sigh. The late morning sun bathed the area in a warm glow. Several wispy clouds floated through the clear blue skies. A weak breeze blew by. All in all, a perfect day in the merchant's opinion. Especially now that he had the needed forms to conduct the business at hand.

His talk with the Third Hokage, an old, yet lively man, had gone pretty well. Much of what needed to be done was because the merchant's guild was trying to protect their interests. Fortunately for him most or all his goods lay outside the guild's tight rein. He wasn't tax free, but he was paying little of it.

Flanking the merchant's sides were his daughter and the fox. With them he left the large red building that consisted of one main cylindrical and two smaller ones attached. Looking back at it, Silver stared at the large kanji sign for fire painted near the top. He wondered why the building had stony horns on top of its crown. Separating the Hokage building from the surrounding area was a white wooden wall. It seemed more useful for separating the Hokage building from the village than anything else.

Silver tucked the forms into his pocket. "We've got a couple hours before lunch," noted the merchant. "Want to check the town out?"

"I want to find a training ground," said Fu.

Chuckling, Silver said, "A little too eager for a whipping."

With a wicked grin, Fu said, "Just you wait old man. I'll be beating your ass…" A solid whack of the cane nearly caused her to bite her tongue.

"Language Fu," said Silver as he placed the cane back on his back, "but if you would like to train we can do that." Spotting a shinibo, Silver went over and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know where the training grounds are?"

The shinibo found it odd that a merchant and his daughter needed to train. Yet he helpfully pointed the way for them. With a quick thanks to the shinibo, Silver said, "Alright girls, let's get moving."

Entering a large clearing surrounded by forest, the companions scanned the area over. Three large logs sat in the center. A river run through the field in the south. To the north sat a memorial made from polished black stone shaped into kunai. Seeing no one about, Silver gave a nod of his head. "Hoshi," said the merchant, "keep an eye out for us." With a nod of her head the fox dart off into the trees.

"Alright Fu," said Silver, "Today we'll focus on mana control."

Head dropping, Fu gave an exasperated sigh. "When are we going to learn some justu?" asked Fu.

"When you've got adequate charka control," said Silver. "You're old teacher taught you how to release large amounts of charka at once. Most justu need control rather than quantity. So sat down and get ready." A frown creased her face as Fu sat down, resting her hands upon her knees.

Silver walked over to the river. He scooped up a handful of water and walked back to Fu. "Hold out your hand," the merchant ordered. Fu did as told. Water was poured into her hand. "You know what to do?"

"Channel my mana or chakra-whatever you call it- into my hand. When I think I've got the water attached to my hand hold it upside down. Then get the water to travel up my arm." Staring blankly at the merchant, she added, "We've done this more times than I can remember."

"Then you should be an expert by now," proclaimed Silver with a smile. Pointing to the stone, he said, "I'll be over there if you need anything."

With a sigh Fu closed her eyes. Find your charka, she mentally told herself. Focus it all to your hand. Slowly, she felt her charka gathering within her palm. Okay, she thought, turn hand over slowly. As she did the action she cracked open an eye. With her hand fully over turned the water clung to her skin.

Now here comes the fun part, she mused as she closed the eye. She focused on her charka and tried to pull it apart. Teeth clenched. Her body quivered slightly as the water slowly divided into four tear shaped pieces. They lined up in a straight row. Gingerly, Fu honed in on the first tear and begin tugging the chakra up her arm. Easier said than done. While keeping her focus on that tear drop she had to hold the other three in place. The first tear was only moving a centimeter every few seconds, making touch an unreliable tool to tell her progress.

The tear was at her wrist when a loud voice asked, "What are you doing?" Fu jumped in place. Gravity enforced its rule and pulled the water to earth.

"Damn it," she shouted. Turning a heated glare to the interrupter, she shouted, "Can't you tell I'm busy?" Naruto took a step back a little stunned by the outburst. Upon seeing who it was the anger faded to curiosity. "Hey Whiskers," said Fu, "what are you doing here?"

"He's been standing there for a good minute," said Silver who was examining the stone. "You were so focused on the training that you didn't hear him trashing your way. Plus one in concentration, minus two for letting a loud mouth sneak up on you."

"So what are you doing?" asked Naruto.

"Training," said Fu as she stood up. As she walked to the river Naruto followed.

"What kind of training?" asked the blonde.

"Charka control."

"How?"

"I'm forcing myself to minimize the amount of charka needed to attach, divide and move the water." Receiving nothing but silence, Fu looked back to see a blank face. "Just watch."

Fu sprinted toward the river. Sitting down at the river bank, Fu leaned forward and scooped up a hand full of water. Closing her eyes, she repeated the process from earlier. From over her shoulder Naruto watched intently. His eyes grew a little wider when Fu turned her hand upside down. "This is what I was doing earlier," said Fu. "In simplest terms, this is helping with my chakra control."

"Cool!" exclaimed Naruto. Fu cringed at the volume of his voice. "Can I do that?"

"Can you control your chakra?" Silver called over.

"Somewhat," said Naruto.

"Then you can do the exercise."

With a grin plastered on his face Naruto sat down and got himself some water. He immediately begin placing charka into his hand. Hardly a second into the exercise the water exploded. Sprays of water went everywhere. The startled blonde stared at his palm. Hearing a chuckle, he glared at Fu. "What's so funny?"

Without looking at him, Fu said, "You're supposed to use as little charka as possible." Huffing, Naruto scooped up more water and again focused charka into his hand. He got the same result within a similar amount of time. Pausing from her work, Fu said, "Don't worry Whiskers. It took me weeks to figure it out."

"Ha," shouted Naruto, "I bet I can do this within a few days."

Snorting, Fu said, "No way."

"Yes why! Believe it!"

Returning to her work, Fu said, "I'll believe when I see it." Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he scooped up more water. "And please move a few feet away from me. I would like to remain dry." Naruto merely nodded as he scooted to the side. Leaning against the stone, Silver watched Naruto as he failed to complete the exercise.

Seeing that he was going to be there for a while, Silver sat down and pulled out a percussion cap pistol to clean. Once done he put it away and reclined against the rock. Tilting his hat forward slightly, he closed his eyes. Within moments he was snorting gently.

A frustrated shout woke the merchant. Sitting up, he pushed his hat back to see Naruto jumping up and down in place. From his pocket Silver took out a pocket watch. If he had remembered to keep it wound it was noon. Had that boy been practicing this past two hours, mused Silver.

Getting to his feet, Silver shouted, "That's enough for now Fu. We've got to make some money." With an inaudible sigh Fu let the water fall from her hand.

"Hey Whiskers," said Fu as she stood up.

"What?" Naruto shouted. His patience was already wearing thin.

"Place your hand on the river's surface. Channel charka into it until it starts to ripple. Gauge how much that is. When you do the exercise again try to keep your charka below that amount." As she walked off, Fu added, "It was nice training with you. I would like it if we did it again."

Naruto just stared blankly at the girl as she rejoined her father. As they left he turned his attention to the river. He placed his hand on the surface and begin channeling charka. Once it started to ripple he pulled back. He scooped up some water and did the exercise. Just before he reached a certain flow of charka he stopped. When he turned his hand upside down the liquid drooped downward. It remained him of how honey would leave a jar. With a wide grin on his face he put a little more charka into his hand. The water explode, but Naruto didn't mind as much as he did before.

* * *

A gibbous moon shined down upon the darkened land. Standing beside the memorial stone, Silver recalled the constellations in the sky. Funny how something that looked so familiar could also be so different. From behind he heard the rustling of leaves. Glancing to the branches he saw the outline of a small person. "These areas are clear?" he asked.

"They are," said the person in a feminine voice. "The villagers feel confident enough to keep the patrols outside the city. I think as long as we remain quiet we'll go undetected."

"Good," said Silver. "We must not let anyone interrupt the lessons."

Tilting her head, the woman's gaze went off in the distance to her left. "Fu is in her original state?" she asked.

"She's currently practicing maneuvers," said Silver. "What your opinion of this place?"

"It's another ninja's village," said the woman as if that was all to be said. Silver nodded. "Though I find that boy to be interesting. There shouldn't be any of his kind left in this part of the world."

"Yes, Naruto," said Silver as he turned his attention back on the stars.

"What is going on in that mind of yours?" asked the woman.

"Chaos, random thoughts, pointlessness," replied Silver. A maddening smile appeared on his face for a split second before becoming warm. "Like most other people." Off in the distance he heard something big landing. "How is the practice coming along?"

Stepping out of the trees, a sweaty Fu breathed heavily. "Difficult. Why are there so many trees in the forest?"

"Because it's a forest," said Silver with a shrug. "Though some are denser than others. Return to work. We'll keep at it for another few hours."

* * *

The next several days went through a similar routine. Silver and Fu would come to the training grounds in the morning so Fu could practice her chakra control. Always there to greet them was Naruto. After two days the blond proudly presented to them the ability to keep the water on his hand. "Impressive," said Silver. "It took Fu a good month to get that step down."

Huffing, Fu crossed her arms while staring up to the skies. "So what?" said the vertette.

"Well," said Naruto with a sheepish grin, "if it wasn't for Fu it would have taken me a lot longer."

A small smile crept onto the vertette's face. "Well," she said with a shrug, "that doesn't mean much. You still have to complete the next part."

"And I'll do it faster than you!" declared the blond with a thrust of his arm.

"As if," said Fu as her smile turned wicked. "I'll be done with it within the day."

"No way!" exclaimed Naruto as he leaned in.

"Yes way!" proclaimed Fu, "and I won't let a snot nosed boy beat me." Silver couldn't help but chuckle at the childrens' antics.

By mid-day Silver would retrieve Fu to start up the shop. They would spend a good portion of the day selling, buying, and trading goods. It didn't matter what one had to offer. Silver was willing to buy anything of interest. With Konohagakure's large population there was certainly no shortage of customers.

With the setting of the sun the two would shut down the shop and drop off Rubric at the stables. After a quick dinner they would return to the training grounds for more training. Fu would do her thing and Silver would refined some of his own moves on the logs.

The next day Silver sat in front of the memorial stone. In hand he had an orange book called Icha-Icha Paradise. If he was going to sit there for two hours he might as well do something. He had heard of the book during his travels, but he didn't know much about it. He was a third of a way through the first chapter when two voices in union shouted, "Father/ Mr. Silver! I've done it."

Looking up from his book, he spotted Naruto and Fu standing in front of him. With arms outstretched their eyes followed the beads of water traveling all over their bodies, with little trouble as far as Silver could tell. Closing the book, Silver tucked it into his jacket. "Good work both of you," he said as he stood up.

"And I completed it first," declared Fu.

"No," said Naruto, "I totally figured it out before you did and it took less than a week."

Before the bickering could begin Silver laughed. "You both did well," he said. "And as an award I think we can take the rest of the day off."

"What about the shop?" asked Fu.

Waving a hand, Silver said, "For the time being we're financially sound. So how does a trip to the park sound?"

"Sound good to me," said Fu with a wide smile. When Naruto didn't reply the two looked at him. The blond seemed a little uneasy. "Hey Whiskers, what's with that look?"

"I can play with Fu at the park?" asked Naruto as if afraid of the answer.

"As long as Fu wants to," said Silver with a smile.

Huffing, Fu said, "You're a bit annoying, but you're okay most of the time." Grabbing Naruto by the wrist, she said, "So let's get going." Fu darted off and Naruto was forced to follow.

"Hold up," shouted Silver as he darted after them, "Do you even know where you're going?"

Running toward the village, Fu said, "So what so we do first?"

"Not sure," Naruto replied. "I've never really played with anyone else before."

"Loner?"

Looking toward the ground, Naruto said in a quieter voice, "You could say that." The sudden change of mood confused Fu but she shrugged it off. As they ran through the village itself the vertette felt as if people were staring at them. Slowing down, she scanned the surrounding area. People were staring at them, but what scared her was how intense they were. Cold, hard eyes that could pierce steel stared down at her.

"Fu," said Naruto, "are your hands getting sweaty?"

The blonde's words fell on deaf ears. Preoccupied with the stares Fu felt her heart rate building up. No, she told herself, I'm not there. Closing her eyes, she turned away from the people. I'm not there. These people can't know who I am. Her self reassurement did little to settle a terrible feeling in her chest. Just before she made a run for it Fu felt something soft brush her legs.

Eyes shot open as Fu looked to her legs. Brushing against her legs was Hoshi. This action relaxed the vertette long enough to notice something. While the stares were cold they weren't directed right at her. They all landed upon the blond who seemed more concerned about her than the malignant stares. "How can he ignore them?", she thought.

"Fu," called Silver as he caught up. "Don't run off like that."

"Sorry," muttered the vertette.

"So where is this park we're heading to?" He received a blank look.

"I know where it is," declared Nartuo.

"Then lead the way." Even with Silver walking alongside them the glares never went away. Yet Fu felt much more confident staring right back.

The park was positioned at the edge of a forest. Children joyfully dashed across its sandy grounds. Sitting nearby on benches parents caught up on the latest stories and events. It was a nice place for a kid where one could climb bars, slide down slides, or swing on the swing set. It all seemed so peaceful from a far.

When the first parent caught sight of Naruto's group her gaze hardened. She leaned over to a fellow adult and whispered into his ears. Before the group reached the playground a majority of the parents were taking their children away. Many of the young protested, but what could they honestly do? It wasn't safe to be around that boy!

Naruto's ears flattened against his skull while his tail went between his legs. Silver examined the phenomenon around him with interest. "A bit early to be leaving," the merchant said to no one in particular. "Fu, Naruto," that got the children's attention, "I'll go sit at one of those benches. As long as you stay in my sight you're allowed to do what you want within reason."

A beaming smile covered Fu's face. "Okay Father." Tugging on Naruto's wrist Fu said, "Come on Whiskers. Let try out the jungle gym over there."

"Sure," shouted Naruto.

Silver chuckled as he walked over to a bench. Taking a seat, he pulled out the orange book. From behind its pages he kept an eye on the children. It was rather amusing to watch Fu hang upside down from the semi-hemisphere circle of bars, shirt kept from falling down with one hand, as Naruto ran around in a panicked manner. If Silver heard correctly the blond was trying to keep his head from being bit off.

With no real reason the merchant's eyes wandered the playground. Upon the swing sets he spotted a young, fair skinned girl around his own child's age. At first he thought the girl to be blind for her eyes were milky white. Yet they moved about in a purposeful way. Short, dark blue hair was fashioned in a hime cut while two long veins framed her face. She wore a simple black outfit consisting of a shirt, pants, and sandals.

Silver looked about for the child's guardian, but saw no one. Must be here alone, he thought with a shrug before returning to his book.

Waving her hands over her head, Fu swiped away at the trapped blonde's ears. "Give me your soul," she proclaimed.

"Never," shouted Naruto as he ran around in a circle. Honestly, he could have just stepped to the side and been out of reach of the girl. Yet where the fun in that? As he ran he noticed someone sitting on the swing set. "Hey," he said, "there a girl sitting on the swing."

Fu lifted herself up and grabbed hold of the bars. "So there is," said the vertette. "She looks kind of lonely. Let's go over and say hi. All the blood going to my head is giving me a headache."

Suddenly, Naruto became somber. "I don't know," he said.

Snorting, Fu said, "Afraid of getting cooties?"

"What are cooties?" asked Naruto as his eyes widened from fear. "And how can you tell that she has them?"

Rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Never mind." Unhooking her legs, she swung downward while letting go of the bar. She landed beside the blonde. "Come on," she said as she made for the bars and squeezed through them. Not wanting to be left behind Naruto dashed after her.

Kicking her legs, the bluette watched as sand flew into the air. "Hey you," said Fu as she and Naruto approached the bluette. The bluette's head whipped upward. She looked to her sides as if expecting someone to be there. "No," said the vertette with a shake of her head, "I'm talking to the girl with weird eyes."

Flinching, the bluette looked to the earth. "S-sorry," she muttered.

With a raised eyebrow Fu looked to Naruto who gave her a shrug. "What are you doing here all by yourself?" asked Fu.

Upon looking up the bluette spotted the blond. A slight blush covered her face as she looked away. "I'm w-waiting for m-m-my g-guardian to return."

"It looks kind of boring to sit right there," said Naruto. "Would you like us to push you?"

The bluette's tiny hands tightly gripped the swing's chains. Without looking at them, she said, "Okay." A wide smile overcame Naruto and Fu's faces. They darted behind the bluette and placed their hands on her back.

"One," exclaimed the duo in union, "two, there!" Holding nothing back they shoved their weight into the bluette. The bluette squeaked as she soared into the air. Falling back down, she was again greeted by a pair of hands that shoved her higher into the air. This action repeated until she was high over their heads.

Shutting her eyes, the bluette froze up. Momentarily, she let her grip loosen from the chains. With one strong push she was sent off of the swing and into the air. Seconds later she felt something rough rubbed against her skin. The bluette opened her eyes and found herself face first in the sand. As she sat up a blond blur rushed up to her.

"You alright?" asked Naruto, worry painted onto his face. So it shook him a little when the bluette cracked a smile.

Unwillingly, her hands came up to her face and she pushed her index fingers together. "C-can we d-do that again?" asked the bluette.

A wide grin vanquished the fear from the blonde's face. "Of course we can…"

"H-hinata," said the bluette as she stood up, "Hinata Hygua

Thrusting a thumb at his chest, Naruto proclaimed, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"

"And I'm Fu Dollar," said the vertette as she crossed her arms. "Nice to meet ya."

"Lady Hinata!" exclaimed a voice. "Stay away from that boy!" Before Naruto could move a man in a black kimono shoved him out of the way. The same eyes as Hinata's stared down at the bluette. He reached for the girl, but stopped short and went into a crouch that appeared out of nowhere.

Pulling his hand back, the man fell into a defense stance, feet spread out and one arm partly extended while the other was ready at his side. A stoic mask fell over his face. "Hello," said Silver with a welcoming smile, "who are you?"

Leaning to the side to see Silver, Hinata said, "He's Ko. My guardian."

A hand was offered as Silver said, "Good afternoon Ko. What happens to be the problem here?" The question caught the man off guard, but he didn't let it show.

As he came out of his stance, Ko said, "Lady Hinata is not allow to be around that boy."

Appearing beside Silver, Fu asked, "Why?"

"Because Lady Hinata shouldn't be with people like that boy." The bite added to the last words caused Naruto to cringe.

"Why?" said Silver as he crossed his arms. "What makes Hinata so much better than Naruto?"

Sighing, Ko said, "Lady Hinata is the heir to the Hygua clan."

"Yet here she is," said Silver as he spread his arms out, "in a commoner playground. She obviously is allowed to play with other children if she wants to. So why not Naruto?" Silence came over them. Ko's uninformative stare just prompted Silver to shrug. "What sort of example are you giving your lady?" That got the man to widen his eyes.

"A leader should always approach everyone, no matter their appearance, as an equal until status is formed. Even then the leader must treat everyone of all levels with due respect until given reason to do otherwise." Gesturing to the man, Silver said, "For all I know you could be a serial killer, yet I have no proof. To disrespect you for no good reason is uncouth. Right."

"Yeah," shouted Fu as she jumped into Ko's face, "stop setting a bad example."

That stoic face slipped into a slight frown. "I have good reason," said Ko.

"Then you should be able to tell me why," replied Silver.

After a few tense moments Ko sighed. Grudgingly, he said, "Lady Hinata may continue her play." During the conversion the bluette had listened to the argument with an anxious expression. Upon hearing those words a small smile formed. A hand gripped her by the wrist and she eeped. "Hear that Hinata?" said Naruto. "Fu, let's go swing some more."

Not getting an answer he looked the area over. The vertette was kneeling by the grass. Without thought Naruto dashed over to her, dragging a startled Hinata with him. "Hey Fu," shouted Naruto, "what are you…"

A hand clamped over the blonde's mouth. Glaring, Fu said, "Quiet Whiskers." With that said she withdrew her hand and knelt back down. Naruto and Hinata gave each other a confused look before joining Fu. "Look right there," said Fu as she pointed. Walking upon a blade of grass was a praying mantis.

"It's a bug," noted Naruto.

"Praying mantis," Fu corrected as she lower her hand. Carefully, she led the mantis onto her hand. She lifted it up for the others to see. "One of the cooler bugs out there."

As the three observed the little critter Silver and Ko took a seat on a nearby bench. Seeing what Silver pulled out of his jacket, the guardian said, "You read that stuff?"

"Only recently," said Silver. "Heard it was a good book."

"It's porno."

"Oh," said Silver as he looked the book over. "Happen to know which parts to skip?"

"What do we have here?" said a familiar voice. Glancing over their shoulders, the two males spotted Anko sauntering their way. Resting her elbows on the bench she gazed at the children. "So you got Naruto a couple of friends," she said as a smile crossed her face. Looking to Ko, she added, "Though I'm surprised you convinced him to let the Hygua girl join the fun. What blackmail did he used to loosen you up?"

"It wasn't blackmail," said Ko, "I just happened upon a sticky situation. What are you doing here?"

"Work was light today and I got off early. I just happened to be lucky enough to wander this way."

"So I take that you're Naruto's sister, mother, cousin, aunt," Silver quickly listed off.

The smile slid off of Anko's face. "Naruto is an orphan," she said, "with no known family members to speak of."

"Oh," said Silver in a subtle tone, "I just assumed…"

"Do I and Naruto look anything alike?" said Anko. "For that matter Fu doesn't look like you at all."

Chuckling, Silver said, "Reason being that I'm not her biological father." Two sets of eyes landed on the merchant. Reclining back, the merchant closed his eyes while cupping the back of his head with his hands. "I travel throughout the lands and during those travels I happened upon Fu. Poor girl was living a miserable life and I took pity on her." A smile formed as he said, "She's trouble at times, but a good girl over all."

"I know that feeling," said Anko. Silver gave the woman a questioning look. "Stick around long enough and you'll see."

Time knows no speed limit when one has found favorable companionship. Though Ko was a little reluctant to talk, the three adults chatted away as the children happily played. Feeling a tug on his pants leg, the merchant looked down to see the children gathered around them, all of them holding their stomachs.

"Hungry I take it," said Silver. Everyone nodded. "How does dinner sound to you two?"

"Lady Hinata and I should…" begin Ko.

Placing her hands upon Ko's shoulders, Anko said, "Come now Ko. One dinner with us won't do the child any harm."

"How could it?" asked Silver. "So where should we go to eat?"

"Ichiraku Ramen!" exclaimed Naruto so loudly that everyone, except Anko who rolled her eyes, stared at him. "It's the best place in the world."

"Alright than Naruto," said Silver as he stood up. "Lead the way."

The small group made a rather interesting sight as they traveled through the village, Naruto proclaiming to his friends the wonders of Ichiraku Ramen. Fu walked beside him while Hinata walked a little behind. Ko spent part of his time hovering over the bluette and the other half being dragged away from her by his fellow adults.

"There is it," Naruto proclaimed. He dashed toward a small square building, its entrance partly covered by white flags decorated by kanji letters. A paper lantern hung by the entrance. Silver pulled back the flags while the children walked under them.

Attending to a couple of large pots was an old man. A round, white cloth crowned graying hair. His clothing consisting of a plain, loose shirt, pants and blue apron. He greeted the customers with a kind smile. "Hey Naruto," said the cook, "how my best customer doing? And who are all these people with you?"

A wide smile took over the blonde's face. He jumped onto one of the five stools before the counter. Fu took one to his left and Hinata his right. Silver and Anko sat to the right of Fu, leaving Ko to stand. In a proud voice, Naruto proclaimed as he gestured to sides, "These two are my new friends, Fu and Hinata."

Fu said, "Hey," while the bluette blushed and muttered a hello.

"Silver Dollar the Third," said the merchant as he offered his hand. The chef stared at it for a moment before grabbing it gingerly.

"The name is Teuchi," said the old man with a slight shake. Letting go of the hand, he said, "I already know Anko. She accompanies Naruto sometimes." Anko waved a hand at Teuchi. "And based on your eyes the other two are Hyuga."

"Hyuga," exclaimed a brunette as she rushed in from another room. A slender girl with brown eyes studied the two Hyuga customers. She was dressed in a similar manner as the old man, with a white bandana tied over long hair. Bowing, the girl said "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen. It's an honor to have you here."

Rolling his eyes, Silver said, "Special treatment seems unnecessary."

"Pardon Ayame," said Teuchi, "my daughter can get easily excited at times.

"What does this place have to eat?" asked Ko.

"The best ramen in town," proclaimed Naruto. "Miso Ramen for me."

"The usual will do," said Anko as she leaned on the counter. Fu and Hinata opted to try Naruto's choice. After some consultation with his peers Silver went with the Tonkotsu while Ko chose the Shōyu. Within minutes all of their orders were ready and served.

Without hesitation Naruto dove into his ramen, devouring it as if starved. Fu rolled her eyes at the blond while Hinata giggled. Each tensely took some ramen with their chopsticks and took a bite.

Not too bad, thought Fu, though I wouldn't eat it every day. To Ko and Fu's shock the young heiress ravaged her meal. Silver ate at his meal at a much slow pace. Swallowing a bite, he said, "Not my favorite in the world, but the broth is good." His hand reached for Anko's ramen. He quickly withdrew it when a kunai pierced the wood. "Harsh," said Silver to a glaring Anko, "all I wanted was to try your broth."

"No way in hell," said Anko.

Silver's hand went to his cane, but Ko's voice stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Leaning against the wall, he paused from eating his meal. "The snake mistress will bite back if you displease her."

"Snake mistress," said Silver with a small smile. As he returned to his ramen, he noted, "I wouldn't mind watching her shed her first skin." It took a few seconds, but the small blush on Anko's face accompanied a predatory grin.

As she opened her mouth to speak, Fu said, "You can shed your skin like a bug can shed its exoskeleton?"

"I never knew she could do that," said Naruto.

"I-is t-that possible?" asked Hinata.

"Of course it is for Anko," proclaimed Naruto. "She a powerful ninja." With a gleeful smile he turned to Anko and said, "Isn't that right Anko?"

Silver buried himself in his ramen to hide the smirk on his mouth. Looking off into space, a small smile crept onto Ko's face. All three children stared at the snake mistress with expectant faces. Anko's jawed moved but words didn't came out of her mouth. "She could do it," said Silver with a chuckle, "but it's not something done lightly. So I'm afraid she can't demonstrate it."

A collective sigh came from the kids. Anko gave Silver a curious look before returning to her meal. The rest of the dinner was spent in comfortable silence between the adults. Naruto blabbed away with Fu fighting to get a word in. Poor Hinata could only manage a word or two before being drowned out.

Naruto complained about being hungry so the merchant stated that he could eat as much as he wanted. Bad move on Silver's part. The blond managed to down eight bowls in less than five minutes. His shy companion didn't help the matter by eating five herself. Taking pity on the shocked merchant, the adults agreed to split the cost of the meal between them.

"Thanks for the ramen," everyone said as they left.

Holding his stomach in content, Naruto said "That hit the spot."

"I hope you liked it," muttered Silver, "never thought someone would try to break my wallet with just simply food."

"Ramen is not simply food," declared Naruto as he pointed an accusing finger, "it's the food of the gods." The merchant smiled while rolling his eyes.

Looking to the setting sun, Silver said, "So I take it that we shall go our separate ways now."

"I must take Hinata back home," said Ko. With a bow the guardian herded the heiress away.

With a wave of his hand, Naruto said, "See you later Hinata."

Fu ran up to the heiress and held out a hand palm up. The heiress stared down at it in confusion. Grabbing Hinata's hand, Fu brought it down onto hers with a clap. "See ya," said Fu as she darted off. A smile came over her face as Hinata rejoined her guardian.

"Ko," said the heiress.

"Yes Hinata," said the guardian.

"Can I p-play with t-them again soon?"

After a brief silence, Ko said, "You may, but please do not inform your father about this." With a quick nod Hinata agreed.

"Mind if we walk you two home?" said Silver to Anko.

"Hoping to get lucky?" said Anko with a smirk.

"I wish to see what Naruto's living conditions are like."

"What?" exclaimed both Naruto and Anko.

Shrugging, the merchant said, "I'm curious how the orphan is living."

Though both the snake mistress and blond seemed unwilling they accepted Silver's offer. For the entirety of the walk he said nothing, he merely observed as the area around them degraded in quality. Fu tried talking to Naruto, but his unusual silence was off putting. Reaching the blond's apartment complex, the merchant asked, "This is home?"

"Top level," said Naruto.

Entering Naruto's apartment, Silver quickly slipped off his shoes and shoved them to the side. Within the time he explored the place the others had taken off their shoes. It wasn't long, but it was enough for Silver. A deep frown settled on his face. "This is your place?" Fu said out loud. Naruto nodded his head. "It's a dump."

Scratching the back of his head nervously, Naruto said, "I wasn't expecting visitors. Hey, you want to check out my plants?" Before Fu could say anything Naruto grabbed her by the wrist and dashed into his room. There was only a bed and dresser in the room, and plenty of trash on the floor. A few posters hung on the wall while a couple of healthy plants sat on the window still.

Silver and Anko hovered over a couple of flowers and a cactus. Bending over, Silver picked up a discarded ramen cup, "You're not this boy's guardian?" he asked.

A sigh escaped the snake mistress. "Unofficially, I am. I try my best, but missions and work keep me busy. People in town won't let him shop in their stores, so I have to buy a lot of stuff for him. I even train him a little to protect himself, but…" Shaking her head, she said, "Ninja aren't allow to train civilians unless for just reasons or if they are part of your family."

"Defending oneself isn't just reason?" Silver pointed out.

A scowl came over Anko's face. "It's complicated. Fucked up as hell, but complicated."

"Then why not adopt the boy?" said Silver.

"What?" asked Anko with a blank expression.

"That way you can protect the boy better," said Silver.

Anko rose with her hands up in front of her chest. "Hold on a second," she said, panic tainted her voice. "I'm not ready to care for a kid. Besides, Naruto has a no adoption status on his head."

"Really?" asked Silver. The snake mistress clasped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. "What is it about Naruto that makes him so undesirable?"

Pulling her hands away, Anko said, "I can't tell you. What I can say is that the Third Hokage himself placed the ban." A strange gleam came over the merchant's eyes as an all too innocent smile appeared. Slightly startled, Anko asked, "What's with that face?"

"Fu," said Silver, "stay here. Naruto and I are going out." With that said he walked over to the curious boy. Bending down, Silver said, "Climb onto my back."

"What are you doing?" said Anko as Naruto complied with orders.

As he stood up, Silver said, "You'll see." Anko felt charka in the air and Silver darted to a nearby door. He threw it open, ran out onto a small, railed porch and leapt into the air, leaving behind a baffled snake mistress with an equally confused vertette.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

Another chapter to enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Three

Within the Hokage's building a meeting of the council was taking place. Dating back to the days of the first Hokage, the council's purpose, in theory, was to serve as the Hokage's advisors. In practice they were the bureaucracy of the village. One side of the council were shinibos of the Leaf consisting of clans' leaders and independent shinibo of high status. The other side of the council belonged to elected civilian members.

Ultimately, the Hokage made the final decision on legislative matters but he was a busy man and keeping in touch with everything in the village was impossible. Each side of the council included experts in their own fields and their interests did not cross too often. Shinibo cared little about where the metal for their weapons came from as long they could get them. Merchants thought little how their weapons were used as long as the shinibo paid for them.

Sometimes, however, their interests could collide and when they did the old man sitting in a plain chair on a platform above his subjects mentally denounced them all. Wrinkles creased the Third Hokage's, also known as Sarutobi Hiruzen, tanned, liver spotted face. A red, wide cone hat with a white front tip and decorated with his title kijin hid his graying hair. One of his hands stroked a goatee while the other rested upon his red kimono held together with a white sash. Over the kimono he wore a white haori.

To his left side stood the village's Elders. Koharu Utatane, an old woman was clad in a long kimono under a jacket, obi and sash. Flanking her right was Homura Mitokado, an old man looking through green framed glasses and wearing an outfit similar to her counterpart's.

Civilians sat on pillows on one side of the circular room while the shinibo sat on their side. All but one seat, reserved for one of two of the village's most powerful clans was filled.

"We simply can't permit the Uchiha to continue as is," stated one of the civilians. "While their service to the village over time is noteworthy we must focus on the now."

On the shinibos' side of the council a man with black hair tied up into a pineapple ponytail nodded in agreement. "That much we can agree upon. We can't, however, go in and take out those who might be traitors. Loyalists to the village will strike back if they believe their family to be in danger."

"Why can't we just kill off the older generation?" shouted another civilian. "They're the ones who are sparking tensions. Send them off a suicide mission or poison them." That civilian shrunk back when a wave of killing intent hit him from the shinibos and a fair number of his own colleagues.

Inhaling deeply from his pipe, the Hokage held it as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Whatever we do," said the Hokage, "we must keep this to ourselves. If the other villagers found out a civil war will break out."

"Yes," agreed Homura, "if the other Villages were to discover this weakness they will try to play on it."

"Then it might be best to cut off the bud before it blossoms," said Koharu.

"Haven't we already been over this?" said a large, fat man in red armor. "We want to keep the deaths to a minimum none if possible."

"It's too late for avoiding deaths," said a civilian. "When the Uchiha is planning for our own."

In a cold tone a shinibo with long brown hair and white eyes said, "Have you forgotten that without the Uchiha this village wouldn't exist today?"

Back and forth the bantering went with no real end in sight. Sitting back in his chair, the old Hokage wondered why he ever came out of retirement. A sudden noise caught his attention. It was faint and distant but it was there. Steadily but surely the noise became louder and louder drawing first the shinibos' than the civilians' attention to a double door.

"What is that noise," asked a civilian.

The white eyed shinibo's eyes bulged out as an outline of a pupil appeared. Frowning, he said, "It appears as if…"

The double door burst open. With a screaming Naruto clinging to his neck Silver dashed into the room. Twirling around, he flicked his wrist and a knife with a curved blade and plain black wooden hilt appeared in his hand. Gripping the handle, the merchant brought it up and struck out. Several kunai and shuriken were struck by the blade and clattered to the ground. Moments later several men wearing black sleeveless uniforms under gray flak jackets entered the room. Emotionless masks of various animals stared the merchant down as their hands went for the short swords strapped to their backs.

"Calm now," said Silver with an unguarded smile, "I do not want a fight." From the shadows of the room the masked men jumped forward, three of them surrounding the merchant.

"Dog," came the Hokage's cool voice, "what is the meaning of this?" A person wearing a porcelain mask shaped as a dog spoke.

"Forgive me Lord Hokage," said the masked man. His most defining feature was silver hair that spiked upward in one direction. "This man was told that you were busy, but refused to listen."

Lowering the knife, the merchant said, "I merely want to talk with the Hokage."

"He's over there," said Naruto as he pointed to the Third Hokage. "Hey grandpa! What you doing?" Many people in the room stared at Naruto. Some looks were cold, others confused, but all disbelieving of his manner of addressing their leader.

"Who's the man in the funny hat?" whispered a blonde shinbo man with his hair in a ponytail to the heavy shinibo.

"Good question," said Silver as he suddenly appeared in front of the blonde. If the blond hadn't been a veteran he would had jumped back. He looked between himself and the void where the merchant once stood. The masked men were baffled. He's fast enough to get by the Anbu, thought the blond.

"My name is Silver Dollar the Third," said the merchant.

"I'm Inoichi Yamanaka," said the blond. "May I ask why you interrupted the meaning?"

"Of course." Kneeling down, Silver took the fox boy off his back. "But first call off your men. I have no desire to fight. Just talk." Inoichi looked to the Hokage.

While the Hokage shouldn't let the current issue slide, he was in the mood for a distraction. "Was anyone been injured?" asked the Hokage.

"No sir," said Dog, "strangely enough this man avoided doing any harm."

"Then I think we can amuse him for a moment. After that he may or may not be escorted to the Intelligence Division."

"But Lord Hokage," said the white eyed man, drawing a keen interest from Silver. "We've got…"

"A short interruption can be made," said the Hokage. "Anbu, you're dismissed."

"Yes sir," said the masked man with a bow. The man and his comrades hopped out of sight, disappearing back into the shadows.

Silver and Naruto walked to the center of the room. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen," said the merchant. "Today I'm here to file a request."

"You're a foreigner," said a civilian, "what could you possibly need that is so important?"

Chuckling, Silver said, "This is a lovely village with good people and good jobs. Maybe I'll hang around for a while. But that is beside the point. I wish to adopt one Naruto Uzumaki."

A stunned silence fell over the room. Naruto looked at Silver with wide eyes. Looking down at the boy with a beaming smile, Silver said, "I've known him only for a short while, yet the boy wormed his way into my heart. If you wouldn't mind…"

Flesh slapped against wood. Silver followed the sound to the milky white eyed man. Standing up, the tall, regal person wore a loose white robe with an open brown hario. His face was plastered into a stoic mask. "The boy is not up for adoption," he stated.

A small, mocking smile crossed the merchant's face. "Since when do the blind become so forceful?" That got muttered running through the crowd. Ever so slightly the white eyed man's eyes narrowed. Returning his attention to the Hokage, Silver said, "I have heard that the boy can't be adopted, but my question is why? Just because I'm a foreigner is a lame excuse. It's not like your own people treat him decently."

"Silence your tongue," shouted a pink haired civilian, "you do not know what happened in this village."

"That's because this village isn't willing to speak with the world," Silver calmly said. "That isn't something I can control." Looking to the Hokage with slight irk, Silver said, "What I can control is giving this boy some quality of life. Just a week ago I found a mob chasing after the boy with the desire for blood. I recognize more than a couple of faces still roaming free."

"Wait a moment," said a feral looking kunoichi with a dog sitting beside her, "you're the one that hung those ninja?"

"Sure did," exclaimed Naruto. "He took them out as if they were nothing."

"They underestimated me," said Silver with a shrug, "even then they were pretty weak. Anyway, I wish to take this boy under my wing."

"That isn't possible," said the Hokage's advisors in union.

Homura said with a bit of an edge, "We don't know your intentions. For all we know…" The Hokage rose a hand and the advisor gave his leader an odd look.

"Even if we agree to allow this," said the Hokage. "What makes you think you can care of the boy?"

Snorting, a wide smile crossed Silver's face. "Please," said Silver with a wave of his hand, "it will be no problem. I can't do much worse than any of you already have." A small frown formed as the Hokage's gaze hardened. "And considering the ninja of the village…" Shaking his head, Silver said, "I see a blind man, a sloth, a glutton, a feral woman, and a creeper among your ranks. A little discouraging if you ask me."

Heated glares came from the civilians. Though the insults weren't thrown directly at them, they still felt the village had been insulted as a whole. The shinibos were more interesting to obverse. Some stared at him in surprise. The "feral" woman growled deeply while the heavy man glared as if his looks could kill. A man with a ponytail shaped like a pineapple top had a calculated look while the Hygua stared with an unreadable face.

Surprisingly, it was the Hygua who spoke first. "You're confident in your skills."

The merchant nodded while smiling. "Confident enough to beat a blind man. In fact, why not make a little wager?"

"Like a bet?" asked Naruto. Silver nodded.

"I'm listening," said the clan leader.

Silver his hand and three fingers. "Three days," said the merchant, "we shall meet at the training field with the memorial stone. When I win Naruto must be put up for adoption. If you happen to win than I'll drop the subject and leave town. Never to be heard of again." A nervous look came from the fox boy. While confident that his new friend was strong, the clan leaders weren't people to push around. His grin became much warmer as the merchant turned to the Hokage. "Of course, it up for the Lord Hokage to make it official."

Loudly snorting, a civilian said, "Go on Hiashi. Show this man who he is talking to." Similar agreement went through the council among both sides.

Silence settled upon them. The Hokage puffed on his pipe while the challenger stared down the challenge. Sort of like watching an excited chimp stare down a block of wood. "Well," said Silver, stressing the word.

"Lord Hokage," said Hiashi, "would you be able to agree to this man terms?" The Hokage mulled the question. Yes, there was a law forbidding Naruto to be adopted. It was imposed to keep the clans and certain other people from abusing the boy he considered a grandson. Yet if this merchant who showed no ill will were to win…

Sighing, the Hokage exhaled a cloud of smoke. He held out the pipe to his right and turned it upside. His thumb knocked on it until the ashes fell out, the remains of his tobacco landing with a puff in a bronze jar. "As long as Silver agrees to keep Naruto within the village," proclaimed the Hokage, "his wager will be accepted."

"Hear that Naruto," said Silver with a wide grin. "Time to adjust for life with parents." With one arm the merchant scooped up the fox boy and placed him on his shoulders. He started for the door when the Hokage's voice to stopped him.

"Silver, never burst in here again without permission. You might not be so lucky next time. And Naruto, please visit me tomorrow."

"Yes sir," said Silver with a nod.

"Okay Grandpa," shouted Naruto as he waved. "See you tomorrow." With that said the two left the room.

* * *

Through Fu, the snake mistress figured out where the merchant was staying. She was waiting for him, petting Hoshi absentmindedly, when Silver marched through his door. "What happened?" Anko immediately demanded. To make her point she grabbed Silver by the shoulder and planted him right onto the bed. Fu scrambled to his side to hear the story.

And it was a story to be heard. By the end of it Anko stared at the merchant while Fu clapped her hands together. "You're incredible," said Fu.

"Incredibly insane," said Anko, "or stupid. Or both."

Shrugging, the merchant said, "No avoiding it now. I've got a mean date with Hishia. So do you mind helping a guy out and providing a little information about the guy? Anything at all well help."

Rolling her eyes, Anko said, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of the Hyuga. They're a clan with a dōjutsu known as the Byakugan. The short of it is that their eyes let them see through pretty much anything and a person's chakra network. A fighting style known as the gentle fist has been created around it where the aim is to damage internal organs rather than cause external bruising."

"Sounds like a hell of way to fight," said Silver with a thoughtful face.

"Though it sounds like you have to be up close to be effected," noted Fu.

Anko smiled at the vertette. "Pretty much. That's all I can tell you really. Anything beyond that is the clan's secret."

"Of course is it," said Silver. "Thanks for the info. You best be heading home. No need to worry about Naruto. I already took him home."

* * *

The blond fox boy sneezed. A hand rubbed his nose as he stared up at the dark ceiling. His normal clothing had been replaced by green pajamas with a night cap shaped like a dog. It was that hour of the day when all life should be asleep. Lying in his bed, Naruto felt little need to sleep at the moment. Lowering his hand, he said to the darkness, "It's annoying how Fu keeps on calling me Whiskers. As if I'm some type of cat."

"**She's only doing it to get a reaction," **replied the voice.

Naruto pouted. "I know, but even when I don't react she keeps calling me that."

"**At least she does it in good nature. There's no hate in that voice."**

Nodding in agreement, Naruto said, "True enough Kurama. So what do you think Grandpa wants to talk to me about?"

Suddenly, Kurama's voice grew bitter. "**Probably going to interrogate you about your time with the merchant**." Naruto couldn't help but sigh. Whenever the villagers were noted his friend would always talk in that angry voice. Kurama's voice soften a bit as she said, "**Though it will only be for your safety. Silver may mean well, but we never know."**

Memories of when the blond was younger flashed into his mind. More than once a villager been friendly to hurt him later on. "I'll be careful," said Naruto.

"**I know you will. Now sleep. You shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting by sleeping in."**

* * *

Behind a plain desk and small amount of paperwork the Third Hokage sat in a tall blue chair. In his hand was one of the many papers that he had to deal with. With a shake of his head he placed it down into a pile for forms being rejected. Upon seeing that he still had a small mountain to go, he sighed. He twirled around in his seat to look out a series of large windows that provided a view the village.

From the room's entrance he heard a commotion. "Hey Grandpa," came an all too familiar voice. "It's me."

A grin crossed the old man's face. "You may enter Naruto." The door banged open as the blond rushed into the room. The room was truly plain. Aside from the desk and several bookshelves lining the walls there was little to see.

Rushing around the desk, Naruto tackled the Hokage and hugged his stomach tightly. "Hey old man," said Naruto with a bright smile, "keeping that chair warm for me?"

Chuckling, the Third Hokage grabbed Naruto and lifted him into his lap. "You've still got a long way to go Naruto," said the Hokage. "So I see that you have made a new friend."

His head bobbed so quickly that Naruto's head became a blur. "Sure did old man. Silver had done nice to me since we meet. He's even got a daughter who likes to play with me. A bit mean at times, but cool for the most part. Did you know that ladybugs can help keep a garden healthy?"

"I did not," admitted the Hokage. "So Naruto, what is Silver like?"

The blond's face scrunched up as his eyes narrowed. "He's odd," said the blond, "with his way of speaking and clothing in general. Certainly isn't from around here. I think he said something about being a merchant." Nodding his head, the Hokage waited for the blond to remember more things. After a little while the blond shook his head. "Honestly, he hasn't talked about himself all that much. Neither does Fu come to think of it."

"Can you think of anything at all," the Hokage egged with a kind voice.

Naruto shrugged. "You know as much as I do." In a much more excited voice, he said, "Hey Grandpa, do you happen to have some water somewhere?"

"There's the bathroom down the hall." Before he could ask for any reasons, Naruto jumped out of the seat. At a dead sprint he left the room. Moments later, he was rushing back with his hands cupped together, water splashing out and dripping onto the floor.

"Watch this!" proclaimed Naruto. For a moment the Hokage wasn't sure what he was looking at. Then he noticed that what remained of the water stopped leaking out of the blonde's hands. As the blond pulled his hands apart the water split roughly in half. Waving his hands about, the blond's smile grew wide from the Hokage's stunned look. It wasn't that the show of chakra control was incredible on its own. It was that a boy of Naruto's age was doing it. As Naruto got the water to travel around his body the Hokage clapped.

"Not bad Naruto," said the old man as his hands rest on the desk. "Did Anko teach you that?"

"No, Silver did," said Naruto. The blond drew the water to his forehead. With a little effort he shaped it into a diamond. "I can make shapes if I try hard enough."

"Impressive," said the old man. "Naruto, I have to return to work." He chuckled at the groan. "But later today we can go get ramen if you like." Instantly, a smile appeared on the blond's face.

"Okay," said Naruto as he turned to leave.

"And make sure to dump that water into a sink," the Hokage shouted.

"Of course I will." In honestly, Naruto was about to dash outside without a second thought.

As soon as the door closed the Hokage's smile faded to a confused frown. "This merchant isn't making my life easy." From a corner of the room the shaped of a man with a pineapple sticking out of his head peeled away from the wall. Regaining his colors, the man's hair grew dark while a couple of scars appeared on his face. He wore the outfit of most shinibo of the village with a headband wrapped around his arm. He swiped away a fly resting on a red swirl on his shoulder. "What do you think, Shikaku?"

Even when addressed by his leader Shikaku had a slouch to his stance. "Hard to say really. Obviously, Silver's motives aren't malicious. No one is stupid enough to kidnap someone by proclaiming they want them."

"Yet you're still disturbed?" asked the Hokage as he brought his fingers together.

"I had the shinibos and civilians who assaulted Naruto arrested," said Shikaku. "Didn't take much to get them to admit to the deed. Downright proudly some of them." A bit of disgust leaked into the shinibo's tone. The Hokage couldn't help but sigh at the news. "The shinibo's report on Silver's fight was troubling. Without using hand signs for speed he appeared to be able to cross a large gap almost instantaneously.

"Time-space jutsu," offered the Hokage.

Closing his eyes, Shikaku said, "Can't say. I think he used it in the council room, but it happened too fast. Overall, I don't think he's a threat to the village. He is, however, hiding something." Opening his eyes, the shinibo said, "To be on the safe side I think we should place an Anbu unit on him. Unless he's threatening or being threatened they should keep their distance."

"Fair enough," said the Hokage, "but for Naruto's sake let's hope this kindness is nothing more than that."

* * *

Naruto made his way through the streets at a brisk pace. From all around he could quite literally smell the fear and loathing radiating off the people around him, a bitter smell that made rotten eggs a wonderful perfume. Not that he liked strong smells to begin with. The whispers were the worst. His hearing was on par with that of a dog and throughout his life he learned to tune out the background noise. Yet he found it impossible to block out the stinging words.

"It's that kid," muttered a female voice in scorn. From inside a shop, a man said, "He's still around." A group of kids said among themselves, "Look, it's the fox kid. Think he'll bite if we throw something at him?" Harsher words than the last filtered into his ears. A bright smile covered his face yet his insides were twisted into painful knots.

**It is okay Naruto**, said Kurama's soothing voice.

But it wasn't okay. It was never… "Hey Whiskers!" shouted a familiar voice. This drew Naruto and several other people out of their thoughts. Waving a hand, Fu looked right at the blond. Sitting beside her was Hoshi. A real grin broke across the blonde's face as he darted over to the vertette.

"Hey Fu," said Naruto. Looking around in confusion, he asked, "Where's Silver?"

"Hanging out at a bar," said Fu.

Frowning, Naruto said, "Shouldn't he be getting ready to fight that stern guy?"

"Hiashi?"

"Ya," said Naruto with a nod.

"He is. Anyway," leaning in she whispered, "what's with all the evil eyes?"

"I don't know," said Naruto. "Most people in the village look at me that why."

"That's not nice," noted the vertette.

A scowl formed as Naruto said, "It isn't." The scowl twisted into a wicked grin befitting a fox. "And I think it's time to have a little fun with them." Leaning forward, Naruto whispered into Fu's ears. The fox watched as Fu's confusion turned into a wide, mischievous smile.

"Not a bad idea," said Fu as Naruto pulled back.

"Then you'll help?" said Naruto.

Nodding, Fu said, "But I think we need one more helper for our conspiracy. It all depends on if she has her all seeing eyes yet." Naruto gave the girl a blank look. Rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Let's find Hinata."

"Okay," said Naruto, his tone doubting.

"Just come on and help me find her."

Finding the heiress proved difficult to do. While they knew that she was a Hygua, neither knew where they lived. Fu sighed in frustration when the blond, who had lived here all his life, knew so little about one of the village's most famous clans. Asking for help was a no-no. Anytime either of them approached someone the person would give them a cold stare and told them to get lost. One man took the liberty of throwing a pot at Naruto.

After a bit of wandering they happened upon a tall, white wall. Positioned at its entrance were two men with the same eyes as their friend. Just as Naruto headed their way, Fu grabbed him and pulled him behind the corner. "Hey," exclaimed the blond.

"Sorry Naruto," said Fu, "but whenever someone sees you they just get cold. Leave this to me."

Naruto seemed reluctant, but with a nod of his head he said, "Fine."

Putting on a sweet smile, Fu started humming a cheerful tune, one she had heard Silver hum thousands of times before. She sauntered around the corner and toward the two Hyuga. Within hearing distance, she said, "Hello." The two Hyuga faced her with stoic masks. "Does Hinata happen to live here?"

"Lady Hinata does live here," said one the Hyuga, "why do you ask?"

"I'm a friend of hers and I was hoping she could come out and play." An expression of slight shock came upon one of the Hyuga's faces. His kin examined the girl.

"I'll see if she is busy." With that said he left them. Minutes later Hinata briskly walked over to Fu.

With a shy smile, she said, "G-good morning Fu."

"How does going to the training grounds sound?" said the vertette. "I think there are a bunch of Red Admiral butterflies flying around there."

"O-okay," said Hinata as she looked around, "but w-where is N…."

Fu quickly stepped up and slapped a hand over Hinata's mouth and hand gestured to the ground to Hoshi. "Nara is right here silly. For someone who can see everything you're kind of blind to what's in front of you." This caused Hinata to raise an eyebrow. She received a pleading look.

As the hand was removed, Hinata said, "N-nara sure is g-good at sneaking up on p-people."

"Lady Hinata," said one of the Hyuga, "you can't leave the compound without an escort."

Grabbing the heiress by the wrist, the vertette said, "She'll be fine." With that said she darted off, dragging a startled Hinata behind her.

"Wait," said the Hyuga as he took a step forward.

"Let her go," said his companion. "It would be good for our Lady to spent time with a confident person. Maybe she'll rub off on her." The Hyuga seemed displeased, but nodded before returning to his position.

Quickly coming around the corner, the two girls were tackled by the blond. "Hey Hinata," he said with a wide grin. The heiress' face took on the shade of a tomato before she promptly passed out. "Hinata," exclaimed Naruto as he pulled the girl closer to him, "what's wrong?"

Beneath both of her friends laid Fu, eyebrows twisting. "Get off of me Whiskers," shouted the vertette as she jerked upward. This caused both the blond and heiress to fall off. Naruto fell upon Hinata, but was quickly grabbed by the collar and yanked to his feet. "Stay off her and she'll be fine," said Fu.

Displeased with that answer Naruto said, "What does that have do with anything?"

Sighing, Fu said, "Just do as I ask."

It wasn't long until Hinata came to. As she sat up she said, "S-sorry."

"It's nothing to worry about," said Fu while waving a hand in a dismissing manner. "Anyway Hinata, are you able to use the byakugan?"

"Byakugan," said Naruto with a confused look, "how that going to help us?"

"Naruto," said Fu with a shake of her head, "the byakugan is able to see through objects."

"I-it can," said Hinata as she stood, "and I h-have just recently l-learned to activate it."

"Good," said Fu as she looked around. She gestured with her hand for the heiress to lean forward. The heiress complied. Whispering into her ear, Fu explained the real reason she was needed. As more was explained the greater the disbelief that Hinata showed.

"W-we shouldn't do t-that," said Hinata as she pulled away.

"Oh come on Hinata," said Fu with a pout, "nobody is going to get hurt."

"And it's going to be funny," said Naruto. "Image all the looks there are going to be."

Force of habit had the heiress looking to the ground, index fingers pushing together in front of her face. "As l-long as n-nobody is h-hurt I g-guess it's fine," said Hinata.

"Then to the hot springs we go," declared Naruto as he rushed off.

Staring at the rapidly retreating figure, Fu asked, "Do you know where we are going?"

"Yes," said Hinata.

"Then let's catch up with the idiot." Hinata giggled as they started off.

Pushing aside the door, Silver called over his shoulder, "It has been grand guys. We should do this more often." Although the merchant had a faint odor of sake on him he walked with little hindrance. From his pant packet he took out a piece of paper. It was a small map of the village detailing all of the village's main buildings and hotspots. To his disappointment there were hardly any gambling halls in town.

There was, however, a hot springs on the edge of the village. Upon hearing that the village had one he immediately thought of the soothing effects of the hot waters. His schedule might be tight but a quick dip shouldn't do him much harm. With the assistance of the map he found the hot spring's bathing house, which was a bright red building tucked into the mountain and surrounded by a moat of steaming water.

As he crossed a wooden bridge to the main building a great angry shout echoed throughout the springs. Hardly a moment later three young children were darting right by him. Silver caught only a glance, but he knew that was his troop of children. "Run Hinata!" shouted Fu.

Curious about what had happened the merchant walked to the building. Just as he entered it a mob of people came flowing out. "Where are they?" shouted one of them as they scanned the area. The merchant stared at the people, his lips fighting not to break out into a lopsided smile. The entirety of the people's bodies were dyed. The men were a hot pink and the ladies a cool shade of blue. Each gender was wearing clothing suitable for the opposite sex.

The crowd's eyes fell onto the merchant as he roared out in laughter, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. Needless to say, the victims were not pleased. "Where did the demon go?" shouted one of them.

"Naruto?" asked Silver.

"We have to stop them before he corrupts those girls."

Pointing in the exact opposite direction the children had taken, Silver said, "I think I saw them heading to the north." Without making further inquiry the prank victims charged off with righteous fury. The merchant headed in the direction of the kids. Maybe I'll skip the springs today, he thought to himself, a hand clamped over his mouth in a failed attempt to halt the laughter.

* * *

As soon as the names of the children who dyed the hot springs got out Hiashi visited the merchant. His words were cold and stinging. He was disapproving of not only his child's actions, but of the fact the merchant allowed Naruto to drag the two girls into it. With a shrug of his shoulder, Silver said, "Kids will be kids. Sure the springs will need a day or two to clear the water of dye, but no real harm was done."

"They should be punished," Hiashi stated coldly.

"They are," said Silver, "as we speak they are helping with cleaning the springs." Whether it was his causal tone or mild demeanor the clan leader was not impressed. Unbeknownst to either of them Anko had used a scare tactic to teach the children a lesson. She had let a big and hungry snake chase the three children around the woods for a couple of hours.

"Just keep those hooligans away from my daughter," Hiashi more or less ordered.

With a mock bow, Silver said, sarcasm dripping from his voice, "Whatever you say your highness." The clan leader left with a slight scowl on his face.

News of the impending fight traveled fast in the village. Especially when Fu and Naruto, by the merchant's request, went around telling everyone about it. Tales of Silver's behavior during the council meeting also spread. The villagers seemed divided between being impressed and being insulted. Either way, many people visited the merchant during the short time he set up shop.

People couldn't tell how seriously the merchant took the fight. Everywhere one looked Silver appeared in that spot at one time or another. Bars, shops, theater, and hot springs were just a few of the places he went, talking to anyone who cared to talk to him. During his training sessions with Fu and Naruto he focused on finishing his orange book.

The Anbu squad assigned to him hadn't seen anything of interest. Their target went about his dull days. Even at night when the merchant and Fu went out to the training field all they seemed to do was sit around or play with one another. They might have found it strange, however, if they had noticed the figure hanging back in the shadows, holding her hands in an unusual hand sign as she watched them.

A break in occurred at the library and Hygua compound late one night. This sent the village into a heightened state of alert, but they couldn't find the person responsible. Ninja hounds would find a scent, follow it for a couple hundred yards, and then lose it completely. Whoever had done the deeds left little physical evidence. Only a piece of long black hair was discovered at the scenes. Strangest of all was that the perpetrator didn't take anything. They knew that a person had been there for scrolls were tossed to the ground. Information seemed to be the object of the break-ins, yet all the scrolls contained were general information relative to chakra and a justu which only a Hygua might use.

Three days came and went. Putting on his top hat, Silver reached into his pocket and grabbed his watch. It was then that he remembered that an exact time hadn't been set. "Fu," Silver called.

Lacing her sandals, the vertette said, "Yes Father?"

"Go to the Hyuga compound and tell them that I'll meet their leader around noon."

With a nod of her head Fu dashed out of the room. Not surprising, Naruto was hanging around outside the Inn entrance. For the past week he had taken the liberty of waiting for his new friend. "Whiskers," said Fu, "Father has given me the mission to take a request to the enemy. Mind accompanying me?"

"Sure," said Naruto as he fell into step. "Think we'll see Hinata?"

Snorting, Fu said, "I doubt it."

Before they reached the main entrance to the Hyuga's compound two Hyuga guards blocked them. "Lady Hinata well not be seeing you today," said the guard. Naruto became downcast as Fu glared. They had received that answer several times now.

"We know," stated Fu, "we're just here to say that Silver will be expecting Hiashi at twelve at the training field." A fellow villager was walking by. Upon hearing the news he darted over to his nearest friend. That friend quickly relayed the message. Soon enough the news spread like a wildfire.

With a nod of his head, the Hyuga sternly said, "If that's all then leave."

Fu and Naruto stuck their tongues out before rushing off. Both of them ran straight for the training grounds.

Silver was leaning against the memorial reading his little orange book. It wasn't the best read and the smut was laid heavily on the plot. Boredom and the fact he had bought it prompted the merchant to read on. Fu and Naruto arrived and were shooed away by having them practice taijutsu. As they sparred Silver took notes on their forms.

Due to being children with little real training both Fu and Naruto's strikes were sloppy. Yet they were quick on their feet and could take a hit. "Fu," shouted Silver, "no pulling Naruto's tail."

The poor blond yelped in pain as Fu ruthlessly yanked on it. "In a real fight this would count," noted Fu.

"True," said Silver, "but this isn't a real fight. Though Naruto does need to learn to keep his tail tight to his body." The blond took the word to heart and wrapped his tail around his waist.

As the designated time neared people started to flow into the training grounds. First it was a curious child or genin. Older shinibo and civilians followed. To many peoples' surprise the Hokage himself came. "Someone needs to referee the match," said the Hokage around his pipe. More and more people crowded the edges of the woods. When Silver's pocket watch told him it was five minutes to noon the forest's edge was teeming with people. Only his opponent had yet to arrive.

Standing in the middle of the field, Silver leaned lazily upon his cane. His gaze settled on the stream. Then his eyes rolled to the right to where the Hokage stood. Flanking him was Fu and- to the protest of many- Naruto who was currently introducing his friend to the Hokage. "Excuse me Hokage," said Silver, "if my adversary fails to show do I win by default? I've got a bet riding on this."

The Hokage gave the merchant a quirk look. "You will win if that should happen," said the Hokage.

"Already regarding your decision?" came a cool voice. The crowd parted as Hiashi, followed by his clan members, walked into the field. Walking beside him was a downcast Hinata and a girl several years younger than the bluette. With a wave of his hand he ordered his convoy to stay behind.

As the clan leader walked into the field Naruto spotted Hinata. He tugged on the Hokage's robes to get his attention. "Hey Grandpa," the blond said in a quiet voice, "do you think you can get Hinata to stand by us?"

With a nod, the Hokage said, "Hinata Hygua." The bluette whipped her head around, eyes growing with fright. "Would you like to stand with me?"

Hinata spotted her friends and looked to her kin. They nodded their heads and with a timid smile she walked over to the Hokage.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto. The bluette eepped as she was pulled to his side. "Ready to see Hiashi's ass get whipped?" From above a small peddle pelted him.

"Watch the mouth," said a familiar voice. Above them Anko sat in a tree branch, swinging her legs.

After frowning at the snake mistress Naruto returned his attention to Hinata. He was a little shook to see her downcast look. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"You're excited to see her dad get hurt," explained Fu. Her gaze resting upon her father.

"Oh," said Naruto, a little dejected.

"I-it's alright," said Hinata, "I'm w-worried about Silver more t-than Father."

"Don't dismiss Father like that," said Fu. "He's stronger than he looks." The confidence in the vertette's voice got the Hokage's attention.

"How so?" asked the Third.

"You'll see."

Hearing Hiashi's light steps, a smile crept onto the merchant's face. "Good afternoon Hiashi," said Silver without taking his gaze off the river. "Lovely weather we're having. Not a cloud in sight. Warm, but not too warm and nice breeze coming in once in a while." Taking in a deep breath of air, the merchant sighed. "Just lovely today."

No replied was given. Twirling upon his cane, he turned around. "What's with that face?" asked Silver. "During the time I've seen you all I have seen is that plain old neutrality."

"I warn you now," said Hiashi in an icy tone. "I'm the clan leader of the Hygua clan. Jonin of the Leaf Village and master of the gentle fist style. If you choose to fight me I will not hold back."

Staring at the ground, Silver counted the blades of grass. "Yes, yes," he said in a dismissing manner. So slightly did those stoic eyes narrow that it could be passed off as an illusion. "Speaking of holding back, let's talk about rules. The one and only rule is that anything goes. Treat this fight like one of life and death, but don't worry. I'll restrain myself from killing you. I can't leave Lady Hinata fatherless."

Each word was delivered with an even, respectful tone. Somehow that made the insult all the more grating. Hiashi took a stance that was similar to Ko. Many of the villagers cheered their home player on. "Go Father/Silver!" proclaimed Fu and Naruto. Fidgeting, Hinata looked at the ground. The Hokage, snake mistress, and many of the shinibo watched intently.

The two combatants stared each other down. Silver's orbs filled with playful mirth were denounced by a cold sheet of white. Neither moved. Both focused on their surroundings. Briefly, Silver's eyes darted to the right and Hiashi followed. They landed upon a woman wearing a plain blue kimono with edges decorated with red flames. Long black hair splattered with white hid her eyes. Silver gave the slightest shake of the head.

This distraction was what Hiashi looked for. Mentally he shouted "Byakugan." Charka filled the veins around his eyes which popped out as the outline of a pupil formed. His vision became black and white. The merchant's skin and clothing became transparent. Throughout Silver's body he could see streams of blue charka circulating.

Pumping charka into his legs, the clan leader sprang forward. Within several steps he neared the merchant. He thrust an open palm forward, aiming to hit the chest. Silver didn't bother to look as he pulled away from the strike. The hand missing by several inches.

Pivoting on his heel, the clan leader swirled around and struck out again. Silver leaned to the right to avoid the blow. A series of rapidly fired thrusts aimed for the chest and the legs lashed out. Yet the merchant pulled away from every strike. From the audience's view it looked as if Silver was dancing around the cane, leading the Hyuga in a small circle.

As he pulled away from a strike Silver took a wide step back. He lifted his cane, grabbed it by the end, and allowed his left hand to slide down the shift. Charka pumped into his right hand. A dull click too faint to hear was the only warning. Silver's right hand gripped tighter on the cane as the left hand yanked down.

Without seeing it directly the clan leader spotted a gleam. In one smooth motion Silver whipped a long blade in front of him. Hiashi buried his foot into the earth and leapt away. Cold steel nearly nipped his cheek. Upon landing the clan leader faced the merchant and got back into stance.

Swirling around, Silver landed hard on his left foot. The sheath portion of the cane pointed diagonally into the air while the sword pointed at Hiashi. Silver's feet were shoulders length apart, his body perpendicular to the clan leader. "Not bad," said Silver.

Mutters went throughout the audience. Leaning forward, Anko stared at the merchant. "What kenjutsu style is that?" asked the snake mistress.

"Not sure," said the Hokage, "but it's giving Hiashi less surface to hit directly." The children around the Hokage stared intently at the fight. Naruto's eyes wide with awe as Hinata gave Silver a curious look. Sitting on the ground, Fu was playing with a spider.

A giddy, almost feral smile crossed the merchant's face. A dangerous gleam came over his eyes. "So you really can see me three hundred and sixty degrees," said the merchant. Keeping himself perpendicular to Hiashi, he charged forward. Though his steps looked awkward he quickly closed the distance. Silver took quick jabs at the clan leader, each one aimed to cause the most pain possible.

Hiashi stood his ground and batted the blade away. Before he could counter attack the merchant recovered. None of the jabs landed home, but the clan leader felt a small sting in his arms and shoulder. As he batted the blade away he found an opening. He threw his open palm forward at the side of Silver's chest, right where the liver should be.

In one quick motion Silver brought the sheath down and it took the brunt of the blow. "What?" said Hiashi, his eyes widening slightly.

Huffing, Silver said, "You didn't think this was just for show, did you?" Silver shoved the cane forward and went into a spin that shoved the hand away. As the clan leader recovered the merchant whipped the flat of the blade downward. Hiashi threw himself back. The tip of the sword grazed his Adams apple.

The merchant quickly followed by lashing out with his sheath. It was countered by a palm strike yet the sword came back around. Sounds of flesh meeting wood and steel reverberated as the two combatants attacked and counter attacked. Silver suddenly blocked the thrust of a hand while his sword thrust was batted away by a hand shooting out charka.

Momentarily the two stared at each other. Neither's expression had changed over the course of the match. Both combatants disengaged by leaping backward. Upon landing both resumed their stances. "Now that's a work out," said Silver, his smile somehow growing bigger than it already was.

This man has blocked or evaded all my attacks, thought Hiashi. Looking to himself, he could see cuts throughout his clothing. Yet he has been able to do minor harm to me. "Tell me," said Hiashi, "who warned you?"

"Hmm," huffed Silver, "even a civilian knew that getting a direct hit by your gentle fist is dangerous. Learning the basics was pretty easy. Though I find it amusing that your field of vision isn't complete." Hiashi's eyes hardened. "Don't worry," said Silver, wagging his sword a little, "not like I could make much use of it anyway."

"What is he talking about?" asked Naruto.

"Nothing to be concerned about," said the Hokage. Still, he thought, to learn of the blind spot within just a short time period. Only clan members and a selected few knew that.

Dashing forward, Silver lashed out. Hiashi didn't bother to move. Holding his ground he started to spin. Charka emitted from his body to produce a faint glow. Just as the sword made contact Hiashi shouted, "Rotation." Expanding from the clan leader was a dome of charka. It struck Silver and sent him flying back.

The merchant's hat flew off as his monocle fell. He landed roughly on his shoulder, but he quickly buried his sword into the ground to slow himself down. As he got to his feet the dome faded away and the clan leader stopped spinning. He frowned upon seeing the merchant standing, brushing himself off.

"Oh look what you've done!" exclaimed the merchant as he looked to his shoulder. "The grass stained my clothes."

Really? The crowd thought as a whole. Hiashi raised an eyebrow.

Placing the sheath onto his back, the merchant said, "And my hat is gone. Oh well." Bringing his hand in front of him, he added, "I'll retrieve it in a moment." To everyone's surprise the merchant started forming hand signs single handily. Stranger still was that they resembled none of the twelve hand signs all shinibo must know.

What does that fool think he's doing? thought Hiashi. One can't just weave random hand signs and…

Silver suddenly bent down and slammed his hand into the earth. As he drew back and upward a large tube shaped object spurted from the ground. "Let's see how strong your shield is," proclaimed Silver. "Earth style: shrapnel."

With a roar the tube fired. Hiashi quickly counted the hand size shards of rock. It didn't take long for him to realize that the numbers, velocity, and spread area made evading impossible. "Rotation!" he shouted as he went into a spin. This time the dome was bigger and more solid. Shrapnel ricocheted off the dome, prompting many people to duck or jump for cover.

As he came out of the spin Hiashi spotted a knife hurling toward his shoulder. Pulling back, he saw his reflection in the polished steel. Twisting around, he got into stance to see a large wall of earth before him. The clan leader's byakugan peered beyond the wall. A small frown crossed his face upon seeing the merchant sitting down with a piece of cake in one hand while the sword point was buried in the ground. His hat was back on his head.

Dashing forward, Hiashi came at the wall and leapt over it. Arms ready to strike he descended toward the merchant. Silver rolled to the right as Hiashi's palm struck the earth. "I'm eating here," said Silver around a mouthful of cake. As he got to his feet he used the flat of his blade to stop a palm strike. Stuffing the cake into his mouth, the merchant leapt onto the top of the wall.

Hiashi followed as the merchant leapt back. Bringing his hand forward, Silver rapidly formed hand signs. Charka pumped into his legs and he sprang back to gain more distance. As he and the clan leader landed Siler slammed his hand into the ground. Crumbs of cake fell from his mouth as he spoke. A new wall of earth rose before him.

Is he mocking me? thought Hiashi as he sprinted forward. Before he reached the wall charka suddenly flooded it. His view of the merchant disappeared behind the ocean of blue. Gritting his teeth, Hiashi jumped over the wall to see that the merchant had disappeared. What?

"Looking for someone?" came the merchant's joyful voice. Landing upon the wall, Hiashi turned about to see Silver standing in the field, already in stance with sword and sheath in hand.

"Enough of this," shouted Hiashi as he leapt off the wall. In an all-out sprint infused with charka he sprang forward. The merchant ducked beneath the first strike. As he rose his sheath met the second. Pain shot through Silver's hand as a palm strike slammed into the back of his hand. The sheath went flying to the right.

Another palm strike forced the merchant to block and again his hand was struck. The sword planted deeply in the earth. Hiashi pulled his hands together and lashed at Silver's stomach. The merchant bent backward at an awkward angle. His hand touched the ground as he threw a kick into the air. The kick knocked the arm thrust to the side.

The merchant planted into the earth and he pushed himself up. Whipping around, he launched a fist. His knuckles grazed Hiashi's hair as he leapt back. Getting in into boxing stance, the merchant gazed at the clan leader. His breaths fell heavily from his lips, but the feral smile had yet to wane.

"Come on Hiashi," said Silver, "is that all you've got!"

Without a word Hiashi got into a new stance. "He's f-forcing Father t-to use t-that jutsu," said Hinata as her eyes grew wide.

"I told you not to worry," said Fu with a roll of her eyes. "My father can handle anything that your old man can dish out."

"It over, "said Anko. "Silver has been playing with Hiashi too long." Naruto and Fu looked to the snake mistress, but she didn't explain. She frowned as Hiashi's legs spread out, knees bending as one palm was brought back to face the air, the other one ready to strike.

"You're within my range."

"You specialize in close combat," noted Silver, "you can't possibly…"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," exclaimed Hiashi. The clan leader disappeared in a blur. Silver's eyes widened slightly from surprise, but they were replaced by pain when two sets of fingers jammed into his chest. "Two palms," shouted Hiashi. The attack increased in speed and force, causing Silver to dig his heels into the earth.

A cheer engulfed the audience. Nearly everyone was cheering for Hiashi to finish the merchant. Only the Hokage, Anko, Naruto, Hinata, and Fu didn't add their voices. The adults stared at the merchant while the bluette and blond stared in shock. With a bored expression Fu looked up.

"Four palms! Eight p…" As the last two strikes of eight were made a sudden blast of charka from the merchant's body encased them. As the clan leader jammed his fingers into Silver's body he felt something grip his hand. Already in the process of doing the jutsu Hiashi couldn't pull away, but lashed out with the other hand. Again the wrist was grabbed. Hiashi's eyes widened as he tried to jerk his hands away. Yet the vice grip on them prevented him from moving his far.

Silver whipped his head back. His hat flew off and the merchant slammed his forehead into Hiashi. A stunned silence fell over the audience as the two combatants stared each other down, one with wild mirth the other with astonishment. "That hurt," said Silver in a melodic tone, "that truly did."

At that moment the merchant's chest area felt odd. It hurt, but at the same time felt numb. He tried to channel charka in that area, but he wasn't getting anything. Better end this before he leaves me helpless, thought Silver. Gathering all the saliva in his mouth, Silver spit into Hiashi's eyes.

With a startled shout Hiashi drew back. Silver used that reaction to shove away the clan leader. With an arm the clan leader rubbed his eyes. Thanks to his byakugan he could still see the merchant, but by god, that was disgusting. "Damn you," said Hiashi, his rage threatening to spill into his voice.

Silver flicked his wrist and a glass ball glowing a bright blue appeared. "Bye-bye," exclaimed Silver as he tossed the ball at the ground. Upon hitting the glass shattered and a bright blue light emitted from it. Everyone looked away from the light. Hiashi instantly raised his hand.

"Do you think a flash bomb can blind me?" shouted Hiashi. "Even bright light…" His voice trailed off as his eyes flared with pain as an intense wave of charka hit him. "Awwwww," he screamed as he cupped his eyes. Laughter echoed in the air for a few seconds before silencing.

Eyes blinking rapidly, Hiashi readied himself for an attack. Yet he had no idea where the merchant might come from. For the first time while using the byakugan he was blind and that thought scared him. After a good minute of waiting nothing hit him. This was when his vision started to clear. It was spotty, but he could still see a wide field around him. At once he spotted the merchant hiding among the crowd. His top hat as clear as day.

Coward, thought Hiashi as he dashed forward. As he neared the merchant he readied his arm. With a shout Hiashi attacked only to have something drop on him. "Hiashi," shouted Anko, "have you gone mad?"

"What?" said the clan leader.

"Turn off your byakugan." Though he didn't like the commanding voice he did as he was told. As the jutsu wore off his vision returned to normal. To his surprise he saw a pair of feet. On top of him sat Anko. As she stood up the clan leader got to his feet. In front of him was the Hokage.

"Lord Hokage," said Hiashi in a curious tone, "why are you wearing the merchant's ridiculous hat and jacket?"

"Hmm," said the Hokage as he looked to himself. All the villagers that heard the clan leader looked to their leader. Sure enough his hat and coat had been replaced by the merchant's clothing. A roaring laughter drew everyone's attention to the other end of the field. Standing on a branch of a tree near the trunk, Silver was holding his midsection. Crowning his head was the Hokage's hat, while the Hokage's jacket covered his body. Around his left arm was a leaf hand band while a tool belt wrapped around his waist. At that moment several shinibo noticed they were missing something.

Regaining his breath, Silver straightened himself while crossing his arms. A calm, warm smile crossed his face. "Hiashi," shouted the merchant, "you dare assault your leader? Where is your honor?"

Nobody would ever accuse the Hyuga's clan leader of being rash. Yet at that moment he felt like doing nothing more than wiping that stupid smile off the merchant's face. Hiashi disappeared in a blur. Byakugan, Hiashi mentally shouted. To his relief his second vision had returned to normal. Faster than the untrained eye could follow he made his way to the tree. He focused on Silver's chakra. As he suspected eight of the man's chakra points were already close to being sealed.

While not surprising that the merchant could move, it was incredible to see him moving around so quickly. If Hiashi could just seal off a couple more chakra points the match was his. With that in mind he leapt into the air. Arm cocked and ready he flew toward the merchant.

During this whole time Silver had just stood there, his smile never fading. As Hiashi neared his target he launched his hand for the chest. Lazily, Silver suddenly fell to the side. The strike nipped the merchant on the shoulder. Hiashi planned to follow when he noticed something disturbing.

Right on the trunk of the tree, where his hand was going, was a piece of paper. On it was writing surrounding the kanji for "explode". Paper bomb, Hiashi thought dumbly. He quickly went through his options. He was moving too fast to stop. Redirecting his hand would at best keep him from hitting dead on, but it would still hit and his chakra was ready to shoot from his hand There was no jutsu he could perform in time to stop or revert damage. In other words, he was screwed.

The clan leader's hand hit the tag, his charka went into it, and the tag exploded. "Father!" shouted Hinata as she tried to run forward. The Hokage's strong hand on her shoulder kept her in place. Shards of wood and black smoke rained down with the merchant. Turning in the air, he landed in a crouch. Hardly a moment later Hiashi landed on his back several feet away.

Groaning in pain, Hiashi's eyes were screwed shut. Much of his skin had been burned. While his right arm was still intact, the skin around the hand had peel back to reveal muscle. Blood seeped through the tattered clothing. Getting to his feet, the merchant walked over to the clan leader.

"How?" Hiashi croaked. To his bleeding ears his voice was muffled.

Kneeling down, Silver picked up the Hyuga's hand. He reached into his pocket and took out a small tube. He uncapped the lid and brought it to the injured arm. Pushing down on its top, a fine mist covered the wounds. Haishi winched in pain. "Stop moving," said Silver in a gentle voice, "this should prevent the wound from becoming infected."

The sound of feet drew Silver's attention. A number of Hyuga and medical ninja with a stretcher rushed up to them. Silver stepped back to let them in. As the clan leader was lifted onto the stretcher a Hyuga boy with long brown hair and a bandage wrapped around his head approached the merchant.

"You were able to fool the byakugan," said the boy.

"Don't get me wrong," said Silver as he rubbed his midsection, "the jutsu is certainly a pain. It just has a minor drawback." The boy raised an eyebrow. "You're able to see through solid objects and chakra networks." He received a nod. "Are you able to do both at the same time?" The boy was about to reply, but paused. "A human is literally incapable of splitting its attention between two objects, at least in an effective manner. I first tested this theory out with the Rotation jutsu. For something that covers a blind spot it certainly creates a larger one. Those earth walls earlier on weren't to defend but to test that theory a little more."

"So you let Lord Hiashi hit you with everything he had to enable you to blind him with a charka filled bomb."

Silver nodded as his smile waned a little. "Yep, though I was a bit shocked by the speed of that jutsu. As you probably figured I used the blinding light to nab this new clothing. It helps to make sure your enemy is too angry to focus."

Nodding, the boy said, "But how were you able to move across the field so fast to do all of it?"

Chuckling, Silver said, "That, my boy, is my little secret. Could you do me a favor and unlock my chakra points?"

"You just proved to the main branch how inferior they are," said the boy. "I'll be more than glad to help." Silver wasn't sure what to make of that comment. He did, however, thank the boy for reopening his charka points. Before the medical ninja carted Hiashi away Silver gestured to them to stop. The Hyuga's kin seemed peeved, but did not interfere.

"Lord Hiashi," said Silver. That got the clan leader to crack open his eyes. "That was a splendid fray. I do pray that your recovery is quick. As soon you're up and about maybe we could go get some coffee and sweets. Think of it as a peace treaty."

Hiashi stared for a moment. With a shake of his head, he said, "I can't make sense of you Mr. Silver."

"What?" said Silver with a shrug. "The last thing I need on my tail is a bunch of Hyuga. Wouldn't live long to regret it." A ghost of a grin appeared on Hiashi's face.

"We'll see," he said as he closed his eyes.

As the medical ninja carted the clan leader off Silver wandered the field. He gathered his sword and sheath to reform a cane. Once it was on his back he walked over to his hat and put it back on before strolling over to the Hokage. "Forgive me Lady Hinata," said Silver with a slight bow, "I think I went overboard in that fight."

"F-father going to b-be okay?" asked Hinata.

"He'll be fine," said Fu. "If father wanted to he would have killed him."

As Silver and the Hokage exchanged clothing, the Hokage said, "It looks like you won your bet."

Naruto hugged Silver's legs. Smiling down at the blonde, Silver said, "Yep. Now Anko can adopt this kiddy."

"What?" exclaimed Anko.

"My words were that Naruto would put up for adoption," said Silver with a shrug. "And you'd do a better job than I. You've known him longer than I have."

Naruto released Silver to latch onto Anko. "Ever since she rescued me from the forest of death a few years back," Naruto proclaimed.

Flustered, Anko said, "But I can't take care of a kid."

"What is Naruto favorite food?" Silver suddenly asked.

"Ramen," said the snake mistress.

"How does he handle being ignored?"

"He hates it."

"Is he willing take a bath?"

"He will, but he likes it when someone is with him."

Spreading out his hands, Silver said, "See, I think you're ready to take care of the kid."

"Well Anko," said the Hokage as he donned his hat, "what do you say?"

Anko looked at all the expecting eyes. Looking down at Naruto, she was assaulted with a puppy dog look. Sighing, Anko said, "Where's the paperwork?" With an excited shout Naruto leapt into the air. Grabbing the blond by the top of his head, Anko shoved him back down. "Cool it kid," she said. "We still need to make it official."

"Then let's do that," said the Hokage as he started off.

"Come along girls," said Silver as he followed. The bluette was confused for a moment, but Fu grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along with the others. Together they left the area as the crowd dispersed. Among them was the woman with splashes of white through her black hair, a sly smile upon her lips.

* * *

I hope the story doesn't sound like it bashing anybody in Naruto- beside the literally bashing, of course. I always hated it when people pointlessly bashed a character. Always seemed like a waste of a character to me. Oh, and don't forget to leave a review.


	4. Chapter 4

My editor was quicker than usually so here another chapter. Enjoy the read!

* * *

Chapter Four

"Father," said Fu, "can I join the ninja academy?" Pausing from his read, Silver looked up from his book. Sitting in one of the two chairs of the room, Fu stared out the window. The apartment they were currently in was a small, four room dwelling. Due to certain circumstances he had been in the village for a little more than a month now. The inn prices were becoming ludicrous just because he wouldn't send Naruto away, so the merchant had moved to an apartment that had a nice view of the village.

There was nothing special about the apartment. It was sparely furnished with white walls and wooden flooring. A bit dull in the merchant's opinion, but it will work for the time being. Putting down his orange book, the merchant said, "So you want to become a ninja? Not that I'm surprised." Standing up, he walked over to the window and peered out it.

"So who finally convinced you to join?"

"Nobody convinced me," said Fu. "Naruto and Hinata are joining and I'm not being left behind by those two." Silver chuckled slightly. Since his fight with Hiashi the clan leader had decided to let the bluette stay with her friends. The three had certainly become attached to each other. As they spoke the Hygua's leader was coming over so his daughter could play with Fu.

Sighing, Silver rubbed a hand against his temple. "You do know that will make our lives a little harder. Keeping that little secret in check might become impossible."

Fu nodded in acknowledgement. "I had been thinking of showing my true form to my friends," said the vertette. "And if I become a shinobi of this village…"

"You do understand what a shinobi must do?" Silver said in a weary voice.

"They are soldiers for the village," said Fu without hesitation. Spotting an ant crawling by, Fu lowered her hand to let the insect on it. As it crawled over her palm, she said, "There will be times when we be forced to kill. Times when we do things that we won't be proud of."

"Do you even understand the meaning of the words you are saying?" asked Silver. Fu shook her head. Sighing, the merchant crossed his arms while closing his eyes. "To every man and woman the Creator enables the power the find our own path. Then again,"- a sad smile appeared- "you're still just a child."

"Do you think the children at school will accept me?"

The merchant shrugged. He was no mind reader, but he had eyes. The more Fu hung out with Naurto the less the other children were willing to approach her. Their parents were to blame, he was sure of it. Yet there was little he could actually do short of getting rid of the parents. A smile crossed his face as he remember the few time he had done that. Fu and Naruto got to play with the other children and the parents were steamed at him afterward. In hindsight, his actions probably weren't helping with business.

A quick knock came from the door. "Hoshi," Silver shouted. The black fox walked out from a room. "Good," he said as stood up and walked toward the door. Upon opening it he found Hiashi and Hinata Hygua standing outside. Hishia's arm was in a sling and a good deal of what would normally be exposed skin was wrapped in bandages. The paper bomb explosion had shattered the Hyuga's arm and left second degree burns. Though badly injured, Silver had heard he'd be okay within a couple more months.

"Good afternoon Mr. Hiashi," said Silver as he stepped to the side, "Princess Hinata." As the Hyuga entered the bluette stared at Silver. "Sorry Hinata," he said with an innocent smile. After setting down the ant, Fu darted to Hinata and grabbed her by the arm. "Hey Hinata," said Fu, "Want to see a cool bug I caught?" Before the bluette could answer she was dragged off to another room.

"Take a seat Hiashi," said Silver as he gestured to a chair. With a nod the clan leader took a seat. "Is there anything I can get you," said Silver as he darted over to the kitchen. "Water, tea, chocolate, cake, chocolate cake?" Silver asked.

"Do you even have cake in here?" asked Hiashi with a suspicious look.

"No," said Silver, "but I could always buy some."

"There's no need," said the Hygua, "I ate before coming here." The merchant deflated a little. "Have you heard of our children's latest adventure?" Silver's chuckled was all the answer he needed. Sighing, he said, "You need to teach that girl some discipline."

"All they did was replace a monument with a teddy bear with funny writing on it," said Silver. "And they returned the monument soon after."

"Speaking of the children," said Hiashi, "where is Nartuo?"

"Off training with Anko," said Silver as he took the seat opposite of the Hyuga. "Now that the boy is her legal son she can teach him any jutsu she wants."

"I pity the boy."

"Why?" asked Silver.

"Anko can be… crude at times."

* * *

Sprinting through a forest, Naruto ducked behind a tree as a barrage of hopefully dull kunai sunk into the trunk. Since they stuck to the wood the blond assumed that Anko forgot to pack the practice kunai. Again. Thanks to his sharp ears he heard something approaching from his right. Ducking for cover, more kunai flow overhead.

Anko stared down at Naruto from a top of a giant purple snake. With a sadistic grin on her face, she said, "Keep moving maggot. A slow shinobi is a dead shinobi." She threw five more kunai and they struck the earth where Naruto had once stood. Without thinking about it the blond ran away on all fours. In the back of his mind he kept reminding himself why he was doing this. Something nipping his ear got him refocused on the situation at hand.

* * *

Huffing, Silver said, "No argument there." Crossing his legs, Silver pressed his hands together. "Anyhow, I've got a question for you. Fu is a year younger than Naruto, but is it possible for her to enter the academy?"

Hiashi shifted slightly to get conformable. His wounds annoyed him. "As long as she can get permission from the Hokage she'll be allowed in," said the Hyuga. "Are you planning on settling down?"

"Please," said Silver with a wave of his hand, "I'm a nomad by heart with no country to call home. If Fu wasn't with me I would have ditched this village long ago."

"Are you certain that's the only reason?" asked Hiashi.

Shrugging, Silver said, "There might be one or two others. So when does the academy start?"

"Within two weeks," said Hiashi. "It's a bit unusual for someone to apply so late, but it wouldn't be the first time."

"Good," said Silver as he looked to Fu's room, a bit of sorrow seeping through that smile. "Then my daughter got her wish."

* * *

Banging his fist against the wooden door, Naruto proclaimed, "Come on Fu! It's the first day of the academy. I don't want to be late." Suddenly the door swung open and smashed into the boy. Bento box in hand, Fu marched out the door.

"See ya later Father," Fu shouted over her shoulder. "Good luck with the shop." As she closed the door behind her the vertette noticed the fox boy plastered against the wall, a dazed expression on his face. Grabbing him by the arm, she peeled him off the wall. "Whiskers," she said, "stop goofing off." Naruto spoke gibberish as he was forced into a run.

Finding the academy was easy enough. It was a large building located beside the Hokage building. Over its main entrance was a sign with the kanji for fire. Gathered around the building were parents saying farewell to their children. Upon spotting the fox boy their gazes harden into disgust. Naruto and Fu ignored them for the most part.

After talking to a shinobi about home room, the two charged down the building's halls. "Think Hinata will be in the same class as us?" asked Fu.

"I hope so," said Naruto.

Finding their home room number, they barged into the room. A majority of the block desks were already occupied by their fellow students. Around one desk a group of girls were fighting to sit beside a boy with black hair, which Naruto dubbed chicken butt hair to Fu's amusement, and eyes. At the moment a tall lanky blonde and girl with pink hair tied back with a red bow was closest to the seat.

"This spot is mine Ino-pig," proclaimed the pink haired girl.

"As if Sasuke wants to sit by a Billboard brow," said the blonde girl dubbed Ino.

Sitting in the chair, Sasuke glanced between the two girls before shrugging his shoulders. He turned his focus upon the large chalk board, tuning out the bickering. Hinata tucked herself away in the back of the room, her gaze upon her desk as fingers tapped against it. "Hey Hinata!" The bluette whipped her head up. Upon seeing who it was she smiled timidly.

"Are these seat taken," said Fu as she plopped into a chair to the right of the heiress.

"No," said Hinata quietly.

"Then I'll be taking this one," said Naruto as he sat down to Hinata's left. A faint blush appeared on the bluette's cheeks.

"So Hinata," said Naruto, "what's with all the girls down there?"

The heiress shrugged. "Looks like a banshee and her sister are fighting over some boy," said Fu in a bored tone. She made no effort to keep her voice down.

"What was that?" shouted Ino and Sakura together. Naruto's ears flattened against his head to muffle their sheer volume.

"I said there's a couple of banshees that need to learn how to be quiet."

Thankful for a brief stop in the argument Sasuke ducked under his desk and crawled away. Once away from the girls he scanned the area for an empty seat beside an occupied one. Finding it, he dashed over to a boy wearing a hoodie and two red, triangle tattoos under his eyes. On top of his brown, unruly hair was a white puppy. "Mind if I sit here?" asked Sasuke.

"Sure," said the boy with a wild grin. "All the girls happen to be following you anyhow." Rolling his eyes, the black haired boy took the inside desk. By the time the girls noticed the move it was too late.

Sasuke's most devoted fans, however, descended on the dog boy like hawks. "How dare you sit beside Sasuke," Ino and Sakura exclaimed in unison. The dog boy winced at the volume of their voices. Based on their cracking of knuckles things were about to get violent. Nearby a boy sleeping on his desk muttered something about troublesome women.

Before things could escalate to violence a man dressed in a standard leaf village uniform walked into the room. His brown hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail while a scar crossed his face. "Excuse me," said the man, gaining everyone attention. "Is there a reason you two girls are harassing that boy?"

The girls opened their mouths before shutting them. "No sensei," they said as they drew back.

"Then I recommending taking your seats." With a nod of their heads the fan girls did as asked. Putting on a smile, the man turned to the class. "Good morning class. I'm Iruka Umino and I'll be serving as your teacher during your stay at the academy. I like…" The teacher described himself to the crowd before launching into a monolog. What Naruto caught of it, they were to be taught in the art of the ninja and that was pretty much it. Half –way through the lecture he was out cold, drooling on the desk.

Fu wasn't doing much better. She was staring out a nearby window, thinking about faraway lands. Out of the trio Hinata appeared generally interested in the words. "Excuse me, you in the back?"

Startled from her thoughts, Fu whipped her head around. "Me?" asked the vertette.

"No, the blond with dog ears."

"Naruto and they are fox ears," Fu corrected.

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted, his head suddenly tripling in size.

Sitting up, the blond said, "Yeah?"

"What will we be learning about genjutsu?" Iruka received a blank stare. Several children in the class snickered, commenting how dumb the fox boy was. Their teacher quickly silenced them with an even glare. As he did so Hinata leaned over and whispered into Naruto's ear. The ear perked up as Naruto grinned.

"We'll learn how to identify genjutsu and how to break out of it."

"That's correct," said Iruka, "though I wish your friend will refrain from helping next time." Naruto's grin turned sheepish while Hinata looked anywhere but at their teacher. Though he frowned at the trio, Iruka grinned on the inside. The next couple of hours were spent with the teacher getting to know his students a little better. At noon the class was dismissed for recess.

Gathering around a tree with a rope swing, Naruto and his friend sat down for lunch. The blond stared down into his bento box. Piled on top of each other was black rice and overly crispy chicken with vegetables so mushy that babies could eat them. "What in the world is that?" asked Fu as she and Hinata stared down at the meal.

Naruto rubbed the back his head sheepishly. "Anko means well," said the blond, "but I think she learned how to cook from the devil."

"Really," said Fu as she opened her bento box, "Father always makes it look so easy." Presenting her own bento box, she took off a lid. Its contents were certainly different from Naruto's. Smoked ham tucked into a corner while mashed potatoes sat upon a flower of steamed carrots and broccoli. Drool escaped the boy's mouth. He looked to his own meal and his head dropped slightly.

Looking back to Fu, he saw her already eating away at the meal. It was rather amusing to watch her eat the mashed potatoes. Stabbing them with chopsticks was ineffective and pinching proved difficult. In the end she just scooped them into her mouth "Hey Fu," said Naruto, "mind if I try some of your meal?"

He received a reluctant expression that he countered with puppy eyes with his ears drooped. Sighing, Fu plucked up a piece of ham and extended it to the blonde. "Try it," said the vertette. Naruto stared at the meat. Wrinkling her brow, she said, "What are you waiting for?" With a shrug the blond bit the meat off the sticks.

Face lighting up, the blond proclaimed, "That tastes great."

"Father and I spend a lot of time on the road," said Fu. "We either cook our own meals or we handle hunger pains." With little thought Fu picked up a carrot and offered it for sacrifice. It was gleeful accepted. Feeling a pair of eyes on her, Fu looked to Hinata. "What's with the evil eyes?" she asked.

Her cheeks darkened as Hinata stuttered, "N-nothing?"

Rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Hey Whiskers, what does Hinata have to eat."

"I don't know," said Naruto with the carrot still in his mouth. "What do you have?" Wordlessly Hinata presented her meal. Round rice balls formed a circle around a bunch of black berries. Seaweed extended outward from the rice balls to make the appearance of a flower. "W-want some?" asked Hinata.

"Sure," exclaimed Naruto as he snatched up a rice ball. With a smile he munched away on it. "Hmm, there's salmon inside it." Head facing away from the blonde, Hinata hid her burning face with her arms. Hinata and Fu agreed to each give up a quarter of their lunches to Naruto, enough to keep the blond satisfied for now.

From the corner of her eye Fu spotted a group of black ants marching by them. Her chopsticks grabbed a sliver of meat. Gingerly, she lowered it down to the bugs. It took them only a few moments to grab hold of it. Getting to her feet, Fu said, "I'm going to follow these gals to their nest."

Naruto and Hinata looked to see what she talking about. "How can you tell they are girls?" asked Naruto.

"Because I asked them once," said Fu. Once she realize what she had said, she hastily added, "I have the ability to talk with bugs. I don't know why, but I think one of my parents must be able to."

"So you can talk to bugs," said Naruto with an intrigued look. "What do they have to say?"

"For creatures that usually live only for a few months, a lot. As to the earlier question the ants I talked to told me that all males were dead beats in their species." With that said she returned her attention to following the ants. Off into the trees she followed them. Looking up, she spotted a boy crouching beside an ant hill. The high, cone-shaped collar of a sea-green jacket covered the lower half of his face. Black sunglass shielded his eyes. Black pants covered the tops of his sandals. The only description Fu could make of the boy was that his skin was fair and he had spiky brown hair.

Walking over to the boy, she knelt down and looked at the hill. Several minutes of silence passed between the two as they observed the ant hill. "So what are you doing?" Fu asked suddenly. She received no reply. Frowning slightly, Fu poked the boy in the arm. "Hello, anyone home?"

"What do you want?" asked the boy.

"I wondering why you are here."

"I'm observing the ant's behavior. Why? Because they interest me."

"Me too," said Fu. "Isn't it cool how they just swarm the nest if something hits it?"

"It is," said the boy as he looked at Fu. His face was unreadable due to his jacket and glasses. "Though please refrained from doing so. Attacking bugs without reason is wrong."

"I know," said Fu. "I hate it when people attack cockroaches. All they're doing is minding their own business when we humans smash them."

"You aren't creeped out by me?" asked Shino.

"The way you talk is strange," said Fu with shrug, "but other than that you seem like an okay guy."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, the boy said, "I'm Shino Aburame."

"Fu Dollar," said Fu, thrusting a thumb at herself. Spotting something near the edge of Shino's collar, Fu leaned in close. "Is that a kikaichū beetle?" As the beetle crawled up Shino's cheek she reached out to touch it.

"I wouldn't do that," said Shino. "It will attack you." Frowning, Fu withdraw her hand. "Isn't it about time to return to class?"

"Oh right," said Fu with a panicked look. Dashing off, she waved farewell. "Nice meeting you Shino. See ya around."

* * *

Several weeks had passed since the beginning of the academy. To Fu's annoyance and Naruto's disappointment many of the other kids refused to interact with them. They dismissed Fu as the "Bug girl" who hung out with the fox boy. The exceptions were Shino and two boys named Shikamaru and Choji. The former was too lazy to care about avoiding them while the latter was a nice guy.

At the moment the trio of Naruto, Fu, and Hinata were standing outside with their classmates. Hands on his hips, Iruka said, "Alright class, today we'll be testing your throwing abilities. Who would like to go first?"

Not surprisingly, Naruto and the boy with the puppy started jumping up and down while shouting, "Me Sensei, pick me." Fu rolled her eyes, but smiled at the blonde's enthusiasm.

The teacher scanned over the hopping classmates to lay his eyes upon a person in the back. "Sasuke Uchiha, would you please go first?" With an indifferent shrug the black haired boy dressed in a high collared black shirt and tan jeans stepped forward. Sewn to his back was a crest that looked like an upside down fishing lure. Naruto huffed in annoyance while Uchiha's fan club cheered him on. The loudest were Ino and Sakura. Under her breath Fu muttered something about banshee sisters.

Walking over to his teacher, Sasuke took five kunai and five shuriken from Iruka. He tucked these tools between his fingers. A couple dozen feet from the group stood a lonely pole with many cut wounds in it. Positioning himself in front of it, Sasuke bent his legs while crossing his arms. In one swift motion he tossed his weapons. Ten resounding thuds reached his ears. The pole now sported a straight line of piercings.

Cheers broke out among Sasuke's fans. "Ten out of ten," said Iruka with a firm nod, "I expected nothing less of an Uchiha."

Pure irk came over the fox boy's face. But before he could step forward, Fu said in a bored tone, "So he can threw a couple of knifes. Big deal." That earned an odd look from the Uchiha.

"Like the bug girl can do any better?" inquired Sakura.

"Certainly," said Fu as she stepped forward. After receiving the tossed weapons, Fu took Sasuke's former position. In one smooth motion she tossed the knives. Eight of the ten weapons buried into the wood while two narrowly missed. While they weren't in a line, the eight weapons clustered together in two tight groups.

"Not bad," said Iruka with a smile.

With a firm nod of her head, Fu said, "Father doesn't let his little girl be defenseless."

"Now it's my turn!" exclaimed Naruto as he darted for the pole. Weapons in hand he took up position. He hastily tossed the weapons and watched the pole expectantly. Thuds could be heard, but only a couple of them landed on the pole. Iruka looked to this crouch to see a kunai sticking out of the tree behind him, mere inches away from neutering him.

Hinata and Fu's sweat dropped while the class broke into roaring laughter, excluding Shino and Sasuke. "Whiskers," said Fu, "wasn't Anko working with you on your throwing skills?"

Weakly pointing at the pole, the blond said, "At least I got a couple in it."

"Please Naruto," said Sakura with a small smirk, "you can never compare to Sasuke. It's just mere fact that you're a loser and he's not." A dark cloud hung over the poor blond as he stared at the earth.

"This coming from a girl that can't take a hint," said Fu with a roll of her eyes.

"Nobody asked your opinion!" proclaimed the pink haired girl as she shook a fist at the vertette.

"Girls," said Iruka in a stern voice, "clam down." Timidly, Hinata came up to Naruto and offered a hand. Without a word he accepted it and allowed himself to be lead away. "Hinata," said the teacher in a gentle voice.

"Y-yes Sensei," said Hinata as she dropped Naruto off beside Fu.

"Could you go next?" With a quick nod of the head Hinata hunted down the weapons. She had to use her byakugan to find them all. Once in position she trembled on the spot. So many eyes were watching her. Judging, waiting to see her fail.

"Hinata!" exclaimed the blond. Looking that way, she saw Naruto grinning while giving her a thumbs up. "Show them whose boss around here." Smiling, Fu nodded in agreement. Taking a deep breath, Hinata stopped trembling. She turned her focus on the poles, took one more breath, and threw. Ten thuds ringed out almost instantly.

"Ten out of ten," said Iruka with a smile. "Far better than the last time."

With a quick bow Hinata said, "Thank you Sensei." At a trot she retreated back to her friends. Examining the trio, Iruka couldn't help but smile. The three had earned the title of misfits due to their pranks and misbehavior. Yet when he saw Naruto proudly praising a red faced Hinata as Fu shook her head in disbelief he felt that the three complemented each other nicely.

* * *

A small dinner party was taking place in Silver's apartment. Sitting at the square table in the dining area were Fu, Anko, and Naruto. The blond was praising his friends for their throwing skills earlier in the day. Rolling her eyes, Anko said, "Naruto, if you can only land two kunai after all our training you're not trying hard enough."

"But I am," whined Naruto. "It's just harder than it looks."

"Practice makes perfect in my book," Silver shouted from the stove. Wearing a chef's hat, cloth gloves, and apron over his normal outfit, the merchant waited for the oven timer to ding. When it did he opened it up to pull out a small chicken upon a platter. He placed it on the table with baked beans, green beans, and applesauce as sides.

As he took off his gloves, Silver said, "Though it is good to hear you actually hit the target. Last I heard you couldn't hit the broadside of a barn."

"I wasn't that bad," said Naruto with a pout.

"Whiskers," said Fu with a roll of her eyes, "you nearly neutered the teacher."

Anko and Silver broke out into laughter. Naruto glared at Fu who easily shrugged it off. Standing up in her chair, Anko said, "Before we begin I need to take a leak."

"You know where the bathroom is," said Silver as he tossed a folded apron, gloves, and hat onto the counter.

There was only one bathroom in the entire apartment and for some reason it happened to be attached to Silver's room. Not that there was much to see. Having only been in town for a short while, the merchant had little within the room. There was a bed, a dresser, and a full body mirror. Over the dresser Silver kept a collection of pistols in a display box. On the dresser were several pictures of people which Anko assumed was family and friends, although she found it strange that in two pictures of woman there was a background that she couldn't make out.

As she neared the bathroom she stopped. Placing her ear against the door, she listened to water running. We should be the only people in this apartment, thought Anko. From out of nowhere she pulled out a kunai. She gently jimmied the handle to find it unlocked. Slowly, she opened the door and stepped into the room.

Like the bedroom the bathroom was clean. It took only a couple of steps to get from the sink to the toilet to the shower. Behind the shower curtain Anko could make out the outline of a woman. The person was short and had something triangular extending from her head.

Suddenly, the world became a little redder. Why was there a woman taking a shower in Silver's house? As far as Anko knew he wasn't in a relationship. Without hesitation she grabbed the curtain and yanked it aside. She stepped forward only to pause.

Slit eyes- one a dark blue and the other a bright red- stared at Anko. Two black ears tipped white rested against a head covered in black hair spotted with white blobs. Behind her three black tails stuck into the air. Two sets of three thick whisker marks scared her cheeks. As the water cascaded down on the fox woman the two stared at each other.

"Aww!" exclaimed the fox woman as she covered her decent sided bosom. To Anko's shock she formed a hand sign with one hand and exclaimed, "Dark crawler spell!" Bursting through the floorboards, two large millipedes wrapped themselves around Anko. As they bound her the fox woman sprang forward and pushed past the snake mistress. Anko nearly fell over.

Wait a moment, thought Anko. Closing her eyes, the snake mistress focused on her charka. At once she released it and the millipedes disappeared. "That was only an illusion," said Anko. She shook the thought away as she turned to chase the fox woman.

They got out into the hallway when the fox woman shouted, "Hephaestus's chains!" A mesh of thick iron chains appeared from the wall. Anko ran into them and bounced back. Instantly, she tried to dispel the genjutsu, but the chains held their place. Beyond the chains the fox woman stared the snake mistress down. There were no chains, but she wasn't going to say that.

"Hoshi," said Silver. Glancing over her shoulder, Hoshi saw an apron coming her way. She spun around and caught it. Looking to the chicken with a bored expression, the merchant said, "Put on some clothing. You're in the presence of children." That was when Hoshi noticed Naruto and Fu, both giving her interested but baffled looks.

A light blush covered her face as Hoshi donned the apron. It covered most of her body, though it still left little to the imagination. "Hoshi," said Anko, venom dripping from her tongue. "What is she?"

"She is a kistune," said Silver with a roll of his eyes. "And you've met her before, though not in this form." It took a few moments but the words got to Anko. She stopped struggling with the chains to look to where she thought the merchant was. "Hoshi, release the illusion."

With a nod the kistune did as told. As soon as the chains faded away Anko glared at the kistune. "Hoshi, would you please join us for dinner?" Without a word both women took a seat. Anko had thought it was strange that there were five seats around the table. Hoshi sat beside Fu while Anko took her place beside Naruto. From the end of the table Silver examined them all.

"Might as well grab something to eat," said the merchant. "The explanation might take a while."

As everyone grabbed some food, Anko said, "You're Hoshi. As in that little fox that follows the merchant everywhere."

"Yep," said Hoshi with a nod, "I'm his guardian."

"His what?"

"Guardian," said Fu as she picked up a piece of chicken. "A person who protects someone or something."

"I know that Fu," said Anko with a shake of her head. "Just start with why or how you even exist. You guys are supposed to be a bunch of myths."

Pointing to Naruto, Hoshi said, "I would think him to be proof enough of my people." A slight frown came to Anko's face, but she nodded. "As to why it's a personal matter. What I can say is that Silver once helped my clan out of a sticky situation. We're in his debt and to repay it I have become his protector."

Looking to the window, Hoshi said, "As we speak there are Anbu watching us from outside. Though at the moment all they see is us minus me eating together." With her chopsticks the kistune placed a piece of chicken into her mouth.

"Silver," said Anko, "why haven't you told anyone about her?"

"Because you people have a tendency to do creatures like Hoshi harm," said Silver. "Not too long ago you were chasing her."

"I didn't know who she was," said Anko with a pout.

"Any way," interrupted Hoshi, "Silver has the right to keep quiet about me. I wish no harm upon you and the worst I've done so far is break into a few places."

"Library and Hyuga's compound," said Anko.

A sly grin tugged at the kistune's lips. "Even if one can see through illusion they have to know it is happening and who is doing it to counteract it."

Nodding in agreement, Anko tasted her meal. She hated to admit it, but she hated her own cooking. It didn't help that Fu had asked her to stop sending lunch with Naruto since she and Hinata were feeding him. "Hey Hoshi," said Naruto. The kistune gave the blonde an inquisitive gaze. "You're a kistune. Does that mean I'm one too?"

"No," said Hoshi with small smile, "you're not. At least, you're not a full blooded kistune." Receiving a questioning look, she said, "Based on your smell I know you're at least half kistune and half human. Where I'm from you would be called a hybrid." In a colder voice, she said, "I do believe that you're called a hanyō in these parts. Though I never understood why humans like to call my kind demons. With all the evils they have done…"

Hoshi was silenced by a wave of a hand from Silver. As he returned his focus to his meal, the merchant said, "Let's leave that for another time."

"So you're a kistune assigned to protect Silver?" asked Anko.

"As well Fu and Naruto," said Hoshi with a nod. "By Silver's orders of course."

Looking to Naruto, Hoshi said, "Naruto, I don't know who your parents were, but I got a feeling that they were loving people." That caught the blonde off guard. Smiling, the kistune added, "I doubt they abandoned you by choice."

Downcast, Naruto said, "The Hokage told me that my parents were killed during the Kyuubi's attack." In the back of his mind a faint sigh could be heard.

"Kyuubi?" asked Fu. "What's that?"

"A tailed beast also known as the nine tail fox," said Anko as she crossed her arms, "it attacked the village seven years ago. If the Fourth Hokage hadn't killed it the village may not be around. A lot of people lost their lives that day and few people like to talk about it openly."

"So people hate Naruto for looking like a fox?" said Fu with scowl. Anko was a little surprised by the statement, but managed not to show it.

"You can say that," said Anko.

"That's not fair," said Fu.

"Life isn't always fair," said Silver, "although I find it stupid to hate someone just for resembling something."

Sighing, Hoshi said, "This is exactly why my kind left these lands long ago. Damn humans are blind to anything below one's skin." Hastily, she added, "Not to say there aren't exceptions to the rule."

"Hey Hoshi," said Naruto with a bright smile, "do you think you can teach me how to turn into a fox?"

"Nope," said Hoshi, "only a full blood kistune can do that." She chuckled at how quickly the boy became depressed. "I might, however, teach you a few spells I know."

"Jutsu," Silver quickly said, "back home jutsu are known as spells."

At once the blonde hanyō brightened up. "Anko," said Nartuo, "can I stay over for the night?"

Shrugging, Anko looked to Silver. "Well?"

"He can stay in Fu's room," said the merchant. "Sleep on the floor if he wants."

With an excited shout Naruto leapt out of his seat. Anko quickly planted him back down. The rest of the meal was uneventful. As Anko stood to leave, Silver said, "Would you mind keeping Hoshi a secret? I wouldn't want villagers thinking that the Kyuubi had any spawns."

"Sure thing," said Anko, "and thanks for the meal. We should do this more often." As she left the merchant turned toward the table. Most of the occupants in the room were still sitting down. "Hoshi," Silver said in a voice that demand attention. "Go put on some real clothes. Naruto, I would like to speak with you for a moment."

Nodding his head, the hanyō said, "About what?"

"Have you ever wished to see what is beyond the village's wall?"

* * *

I liked how the chapter came out, but a bit dull in all honesty. Do me a favor and leave a lively review.


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